


Between These Shelves

by fandomobsessed



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Friends to Lovers, Harry Potter References, Human AU, M/M, Misunderstandings, Mutual Pining, Slow Burn, Stiles is in a constant state of denial, derek is a big ole softie
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-26
Updated: 2020-11-13
Packaged: 2021-03-04 06:40:03
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 21
Words: 104,281
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24929296
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fandomobsessed/pseuds/fandomobsessed
Summary: Stiles' summer gets thrown off kilter by the dark, brooding customer who frequents the bookstore.
Relationships: Derek Hale/Stiles Stilinski
Comments: 51
Kudos: 226





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: Teen Wolf belongs to MTV and Jeff Davis

Stiles Stilinski is bored, bored out of his mind. He’s home from college for the summer. He should be at home playing video games, hanging out with his best friend Scott McCall, or spending time at the beach with his friends. None of those things were on the table though. No, instead Stiles had been an idiot and mentioned something about a summer job to his dad.

When Stiles did this, what he had in mind was helping Scott out at the animal clinic he worked at. Spend time with his best friend  _ and  _ get paid. Two birds with one stone. But Stiles’ dad had taken it upon himself to get Stiles a job at the bookstore in town. Why?

Because Stiles just so happened to spend most of his down times between the pages of books. 

Now his father meant well, Stiles knew that, but Stiles didn’t want to work there. He wished the owner had told his dad he didn’t have room for Stiles but a kid had quit, leaving an opening for Stiles to fill.

So that’s how Stiles found himself sitting behind the checkout counter, bored out of his mind, late on a Thursday afternoon. The place was dead, completely empty. The one and only customer that had come in was a little old lady and that had been three hours ago and she hadn’t even bought anything.

The bell over the door had announced her entry and Stiles greeted her with an award winning smile, offered her his assistance and stood up from his chair, eager to get up and actually do something. But before he could even step out from behind the counter, the lady waved him off, telling him she didn’t need any help.

His face fell and he slumped back into his seat, propping his elbow on the counter as he rested his cheek in his hand with a pout. The lady shuffled around in the cooking section and grumbled about the books being too big for her liking. Stiles offered to show her some smaller books but she shook her head and said that smaller books wouldn’t offer as many recipes. Stiles gaped at her incredulously. Why not get a bigger book then?

After the lady left, Stiles had two agonizing hours left of his shift before he’d be free to go. He was desperate for a way to entertain himself. So he pulled out his phone and started playing Tetris. After that had lost his interest he started reading his book, being careful to look up and watch for customers. Mission: Entertain Stiles was a success. For now at least.

An hour later Stiles’ book was completely forgotten and flipped over on his lap. He had his feet propped up on the counter as he leaned back in the chair. He was timing himself to see how long he could keep a pencil balanced on his upper lip. His current record was 15 seconds. Balancing said pencil required stillness and one thing Stiles wasn’t very good at was staying still.

Unbeknownst to Stiles, someone had entered the store about ten minutes ago and was currently perusing the books in the back. After a few minutes, they headed towards the front of the store with a few books in hand. Completely oblivious, Stiles continued with his pencil balancing act and didn’t register someone talking to him. Fed up with being ignored, the guy slammed his books down on the counter to catch Stiles’ attention.

“ Holy mother of-“

Caught completely off guard, Stiles flailed as he fell into a heap on the floor, hitting his head on the counter. Stiles groaned and brought a hand up to his throbbing temple, slowly standing as he tried to reorient himself.

“ Look, I'm sorry I wasn't paying attention but was that really necessary?"

He rubbed his head a bit more before looking up to glare at the guy that had scared the living hell out of him. Stiles figured he would apologize for scaring him, thus resulting in the huge bump that was inevitably forming on his head, but no, he was just scowling at Stiles as if Stiles had done something wrong.

Stiles gaped at him soundlessly for a few minutes, unsure if he should be angry or scared, before deciding on the former. He huffed in irritation and raised his eyebrow at the man in question, demanding an explanation.

“ What’s your problem, huh?”

Stiles didn’t think it was possible but the mystery man’s scowl deepened. He could feel the hate rolling off of him in waves.

The guy took a step closer to the counter and pushed the books forward with a finger.

“ Why don’t you stop clowning around and do your job,” he snarled.

Stiles flinched away in shock.

Not one to stand down, Stiles scowled right back, though his was nowhere near as intimidating.

“ Excuse me? I was doing my job until you decided to come along and try and give me a heart attack!”

Stiles knew he was behaving unprofessionally but he couldn’t help it. All the guy had to do was politely ask to be rung up and then he could’ve gone on his merry way so that Stiles could go back to blissfully doing nothing the rest of…Oh. Okay. So maybe the guy had a point but that didn’t give him the right to just march up and start barking orders.

Stiles gave a relenting sigh and opened his mouth, ready to apologize, but then the guy quirked an eyebrow at him.

“ Really? You define what you were doing as working? I define it as laziness.”

And with that, Stiles’ mouth snapped shut with a click.

“ Nobody was-No, you know what? I don’t owe you an explanation. Just-“

Stiles snatched the books the guy had slammed onto the counter, rang them up and threw them haphazardly into a bag.

“ -Here. That’ll be fifteen dollars.”

Stiles looked back at him expectantly, their eyes locking in a silent battle, before the guy slammed a twenty dollar bill on the counter, grabbed his bag, and turned to leave.

“ Wha-?” Stiles spluttered as he stared at the bill before calling after him. “Hey! This is too-“

“ Keep the change.”

The response was growled back over his shoulder as he left.

Now that he was gone, Stiles let out an incoherent string of words as he fell back into his chair. A few minutes later, the bell over the door announced someone’s arrival. Stiles groaned, assuming it was the guy again.

“ What do you want now?!” he snapped.

Stiles looked up with a prepared glare only to be met with a kicked puppy look from his best friend.

“ Scott?”

Scott nodded, looking at Stiles apprehensively. Stiles realized what he had said and grinned apologetically at his friend. Taking note of the time, Stiles started packing up his stuff so he could, finally, clock out.

“ Sorry, buddy. There was this guy that came into the store just before you and he just got under my skin-I mean I don’t think the guy could be any more arrogant –anyways, what are you doing here?”

His friend snorted in amusement before answering his question.

“ Way to bite my head off there. And you’re off now right? I figured I’d pick you up; we can grab some food and hang out for a bit.”

Stiles hadn’t realized how hungry he was, but at the mention of food his stomach let out a loud growl as if he hadn’t eaten in days instead of just a few hours. Stiles spun around and stared at his friend with admiration in his eyes.

“ Food? Curly fries?”

Scott nodded with a smug look on his face.

“ Of course! What else? I know you too well.”

Stiles chuckled as he walked over, threw his arms around his best friend’s shoulders and nuzzled his cheek.

“ Oh Scottie, you beautiful, beautiful boy. You’ve restored my hope for humanity.”

Stiles was probably overreacting but it felt like ages since just he and Scott had hung out without Scott’s girlfriend in tow. He loved the girl, he did. She was a perfect match for Scott. And she also happened to be one of Stiles’ closest friends. But he also really missed his best friend. Plus, after his encounter with the scowling customer, he was looking forward to associating with someone who didn’t hate his entire being.

Stiles stepped away and gripped Scott by the shoulders as he herded him to the door.

“ This’ll be great! Just me and you, like old times!”

“ Uh, Stiles, abou-“

But before Scott could finish his sentence, the bell over the store announced yet another arrival in the form of Allison Argent, Scott’s girlfriend. She greeted them both with a sweet smile as she made her way over to them.

“ Hey Stiles, ready to go?”

He stared at her blankly, not understanding her question.

“ Uh, go?”

A confused expression took over her face before she threw a disapproving look Scott’s way.

“ You didn’t tell him? Really, Scott? You’re hopeless,” she chastised fondly.

She rolled her eyes at him before looping her arms through Scott and Stiles’, leading them out of the bookstore and making her way over to what Stiles recognized as her car.

“ Scott wanted to grab some food and I thought it’d be nice to invite you along. I think Isaac is gonna join us as well. I asked Jackson and Lydia but neither were answering their phones so it’s not hard to guess what they’re up to.”

She waggled her eyebrows at Stiles and he forced a laugh even though he didn’t find it remotely funny. Yes, he was over his crush/obsession with Lydia Martin, but that didn’t mean he wanted to picture her and her boyfriend going at it.

The trio slid into the car and Allison pulled away from the curb, heading towards the diner they frequented.

So much for guy time with Scott…

At least Isaac would be there so Stiles wouldn’t feel like the annoying third wheel like he usually did. And he’d be getting his curly fry fix, so it’s not like it would be a total bust.

Don’t get Stiles wrong, he was completely happy for his best friend. He wasn’t bitter about him spending most of his time with Allison, and he wasn’t jealous, either. Well he was, but he wasn’t jealous of her. He was jealous of their relationship itself.

They rode in silence; Scott and Allison making goo-goo eyes at each other the entire time (“Come on! Watch the road!”) before arriving at the diner. Stiles got out of the car with a huff and marched inside, his two lovesick friends giggling behind him.

He headed for their usual booth in the back corner where their friend Isaac Lahey was already waiting. When the curly-headed blond saw them, he waved his hand lazily in greeting as Stiles grinned and slipped into the booth next to him while Scott and Allison sat across from the two boys.

“ Hey guys, I ordered us all cokes and two large plates of curly fries. That alright?”

Stiles nodded eagerly as Scott mumbled a thank you, not taking his eyes off of Allison.

Isaac rolled his eyes and shared a look with Stiles before miming throwing up. This went completely unnoticed by the infatuated couple, so when Stiles started laughing they both shared a confused frown. They opened their mouths to ask but with perfect timing their waitress showed up with their tray of drinks and food, successfully distracting them.

Stiles’ eyes gleamed at the golden-brown deliciousness before him and let out a content moan as he popped one into his mouth.

“ Man, I swear these just get better and better each time we come here.”

Except the boy was talking around a mouthful of fry so it just came out as gibberish, but he said the same thing every time so his friends just nodded in understanding.

Scott and Stiles started talking about the newest video game they were obsessing over while Isaac and Allison started talking about the grades they had ended the semester with. Stiles felt perfectly content. He was having fun with his friends and for a change he wasn’t vying for Scott’s attention. Well, at least until Allison tapped him on the shoulder and offered to feed him a fry, then Scott fed her a fry and so the pattern continued.

_They are nauseatingly cute…_ Stiles thought fondly.

Though, the act did get old, and a tad annoying, fast. Stiles gritted his teeth to prevent himself from saying anything rude, but thankfully Isaac took matters into his own hands and threw a fry at the both of them.

“ Jesus! Go get a room! Why invite us along if you’re just gonna shoot ‘sex eyes’ at each other the entire time?”

The words sounded harsh but his tone was light, so Scott and Allison knew he wasn’t really mad at them. Still, they both flushed in embarrassment before mumbling an apology. His irritation evaporated and Stiles smirked in amusement as he threw another fry at the two.

“ Go on, get out of here. We can entertain ourselves without you two. Go have fun.”

Allison chewed at her lip for a moment, debating silently before glancing at Scott who looked ready to grab her and run. She giggled shyly before smiling apologetically at Stiles.

“ Sorry Stiles, do you want a ride back to your Jeep? Isaac, you need a ride home?”

They both shook their heads and said, “Nah, I’ll walk,” at the same time, waving her off to go have fun with Scott. Allison hugged and kissed them both on the cheek before making her way back to Scott’s side and leaving the diner. They ate the rest of their food quietly before Isaac decided to break the silence.

“ So, today was your first day at the bookstore, right? How was it?”

Stiles had temporarily forgotten about the rude transaction at work, but now that he was reminded of it, a scowl mirroring the man’s spread across his face. Isaac grimaced at the expression and laid his hand on Stiles’ shoulder.

“ Ouch. That bad, huh?”

Stiles sucked down the rest of his coke, laid down his share of the bill, and slid out of the booth with Isaac in tow before answering.

“ It wasn’t completely terrible I guess… Just this guy came in and he was just a pompous ass. Arrogant and demanding and-and…”

Stiles wasn’t sure what else there was to say about the man. He shook his head in irritation before nodding in the direction of his work.

“ Forget it. Come on, I’ll give you a ride home.”

Isaac said a quiet thanks and they walked silently to where Stiles had parked his jeep that morning. Well, it would’ve been silent if it weren’t for the fact that Stiles started ranting about the mystery guy again, gesturing wildly with his arms.

“ And his scowl! You should’ve seen it. If scowling was an art he’d be the fucking master! And he was acting like he owned the damn place! Marching in and barking orders… accusing me of not doing my job…”

Stiles started grumbling under his breath, not caring if Isaac could hear him or not at this point. Isaac shook his head in amusement; it was entertaining to see Stiles get so riled up. They rounded the corner and made their way over to Stiles’ jeep.

“ Well… were you?”

Stiles stopped muttering under his breath and looked up to glare at the tall blond before unlocking the door.

“ That’s beside the point! No one had come in before him for hours! Ugh! Dammit Isaac! I thought I said to forget it?”

Isaac nodded in agreement as Stiles slid into the driver’s seat, started the engine, and then leaned over to unlock Isaac’s door.

“ Yea, you did. But then you brought it up again so, as a good friend, I listened.”

Isaac sent a cheeky smile Stiles’ way, sliding into the jeep as well. Stiles huffed in annoyance as he navigated his jeep onto the main road.

“ Here I am, giving you a ride home out of the goodness of my heart, and what do I get in return? You teasing me. That’s a helluva thank you, Isaac.”

The tall blond clapped Stiles on the shoulder, not feeling an ounce of guilt.

“ Ah, but that’s why you love me, is it not? Anyways, the guy was probably just having an off day. You probably were too. So, if he comes in again, just apologize. You never know, it might’ve been just a onetime thing. Odds are, you’ll never see him again and you can work there peacefully from now on.”

Stiles nodded absentmindedly as he drove through town and towards Isaac’s house.

_ Yea, that makes sense. Still… I kind of would like to know who he is… A name would be helpful… I wonder if he just moved here… I’m sure I’ve never seen him before… I’d remember someone that attractive… _

The amused chuckles coming from the boy next to him brought him out of his internal reverie.

“ So he’s attractive, is he? No wonder you can’t stop talking about him,” Isaac commented.

Stiles gaped over at Isaac, unsure of how he knew exactly what he was thinking, before looking back at the road and seeing he was about to run a red light. He slammed down on the breaks and brought them to screeching halt, making them both lurch forward in their seats.

“ Dammit Stiles! Are you trying to kill us?” Isaac exclaimed at the same time that Stiles whispered incredulously, “Why didn’t you tell me you were psychic?!”

The curly blond just rolled his eyes and gestured at the road.

“ The lights green now and why the hell would you think I’m psychic?”

“ You knew exactly what I was thinking,” he hissed. “Only psychics can do that!”

Stiles was jumping up and down in his seat, as if his friend being psychic was the most exciting news ever. Isaac just rolled his eyes and turned his head to look out the window.

“ Stiles, sorry to disappoint you, but I am not psychic. You were mumbling to yourself and the only part I heard was you saying how sexy the guy was.”

Stiles spluttered incoherently as he pulled up to the curb of Isaac’s house.

“ I didn’t say he was sexy!” he hissed. “I said he was attractive, there’s a difference. Besides, now that I think about it he really wasn’t that good looking.”

Talk about an understatement! The guy was gorgeous and Stiles knew it, he just didn’t think Isaac needed to know just how tall, dark and handsome the guy had been. Stiles just shrugged nonchalantly, maintaining a steady gaze with the blond. Isaac snorted in disbelief as he slid out of the jeep, shutting the door and leaning his head into the open window.

“ You say that, but the blush across your face is saying something completely different.”

Isaac smirked at Stiles as he pushed away from the jeep and made his way up his front walk.

Knowing he was blushing made Stiles blush even more and yell after the blond. 

“ Jerk!”

Isaac just threw his hand up in a wave, “Thanks for the ride. Love you too!” before making his way inside. Stiles shook his head in amusement, smiling fondly before heading home.

~*~

It was getting close to ten when Stiles pulled his jeep into the driveway. The house was clouded in darkness and empty despite the hour. He didn’t think anything of it, far too used to his dad working late into the night for it to be unusual.

He made a detour into the kitchen to grab a bottle of water before taking the stairs two at a time up to his room and powering up his Xbox. He was hoping to play with Scott; he wasn’t online- probably still with Allison- but Danny and Boyd were, so he started a game with them, losing touch with reality for a few hours. 

Hearing his dad come home from work distracted Stiles from the task at hand. He glanced away from the screen to check the time and was surprised to see that it was a quarter past midnight. An indignant shout come through his headset.

“ Dammit Stiles! Why weren't you watching my back?!”

The shout brought his attention back to the screen and he saw that he had left Boyd undefended.

“ Sorry boys, my dad’s home. I’m gonna talk to him for a bit then catch some Z’s,” he explained before signing off and making his way downstairs.

Stiles poked his head into the living room before making his way to the dining room, finding his father sitting at the kitchen table. The sheriff was biting into a burger from some fast food joint as he greeted his son.

“ Hey kiddo.”

“ Hey Dad, please tell me that’s a veggie burger.”

His dad took another bite, his eyes crinkling with pleasure as he shook his head.

“ Sorry son, a sheriff shouldn’t lie. It’s a delicious cheeseburger with everything on it.”

Stiles groaned, fixing his dad with a disappointed frown before stepping into the kitchen.

“ It’s a heart attack on a bun. Come on Dad, we’ve talked about this. You need to start eating healthier.”

Unperturbed, the sheriff continued eating his burger.

“ You talked, I listened. There’s nothing wrong with my diet or my health; I’m fine son.”

Stiles bustled around in the kitchen some more before placing a small salad in front of his father.

“ Eat,” he said in a stern voice.

His dad frowned at the salad as if it had personally insulted him. With a relenting sigh he took a bite of the salad and quirked an eyebrow at his son.

“ Happy?” he asked around a mouthful of lettuce.

“ Ecstatic! I’m gonna hop in the shower.”

He left the room and bounded back up the stairs and into the bathroom, a satisfied grin on his face. 

Once he was finished with his shower, Stiles made his way to his room and changed for bed. He then ambled down the hall towards his father’s room. He found him sitting on his bed, looking over his latest case. Stiles cleared his throat to get his dad’s attention.

“ Hey, I’m gonna get some sleep. ‘Night Dad.”

The sheriff looked up and took off his reading glasses, holding his hand up at Stiles.

“ Hey, wait a minute. I forgot to ask, how was your first day?”

“ It was-“ Stiles was ready to complain, tell his dad the truth about how crappy it was and how he didn’t want to work there, but, seeing the hopeful expression on his dad’s face, he just couldn’t bring himself to do it. “-Good, dad. It’ll take some getting used to, but it was...good.”

His dad gave him a warm smile, pleased to hear that.

“ That’s great son, I knew you’d love it. Alright, good night. Get some sleep.”

Stiles nodded, softly hitting his fist against the wall as he pushed himself out of the doorway.

“ Yea… Thanks for the job, Dad. Good night.”

  
  



	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Teen Wolf belongs to MTV and Jeff Davis

The next morning, Stiles came into the kitchen just as his father was stepping up to the stove with a package of bacon in his hand. With a disapproving frown, he snatched the package out of his father’s hand before spinning out of his reach and throwing the bacon back into the fridge. The sheriff blinked at his suddenly empty hand before sighing exasperatedly.

“ What the hell, son?”

Stiles just grinned mischievously as he threw some wheat bread into the toaster and started cracking some eggs into a bowl to be scrambled. He turned to face his dad, the bowl in his hands as he whisked.

“Sorry dad, not on my watch. Just drink some coffee and relax while I make you a somewhat _healthier_ breakfast.”

Knowing a lost battle when he saw one, the sheriff just shook his head as he filled a mug with some coffee, watching his son dance around the kitchen as he made them breakfast. 

“Just don't burn the house down,” the sheriff requested as he sat down at the kitchen table, ready to start into the morning paper.

Stiles mumbled something about it just being a minor stove fire but otherwise ignores his father. 

“ You know Stiles, I manage to take care of myself while you’re away at school. I’m still alive and kicking, you don’t need to worry so much.”

“ Yea well, you’re my dad. I’m always going to worry. I’m trying to prolong your life here, you should be thanking me.”

Stiles smirked at his father before pushing the wheat bread down to be toasted and then pulling a grapefruit out of the fridge to be cut. His father just rolled his eyes before letting his eyes skim over the paper.

Stiles was scooping the eggs onto their plates just as the toast popped back up; he buttered the slices lightly before walking over and putting a plate of food before his dad.

“ Bon appétit.”

He did a makeshift bow before sitting in the chair across from his dad. The sheriff appraised his plate of food before looking back to his son and smiling softly.

“ Thanks, son. I know I give you a hard time about being so concerned with my health, but I really do appreciate it.”

Stiles blinked in surprise before nodding his head.

“ No problem, Dad. Now eat up, you’ve gotta get to the station soon.”

Stiles took a bite of his breakfast and inclined his head for his dad to do the same. The sheriff followed suit and they started eating as a comfortable silence settled over the two. Once he was finished, the sheriff dropped his plate into the sink and threw on his jacket for work.

“ Alright kiddo, I’m heading out. Probably won’t be home till late like usual. Don’t be late for work and make sure to lock up when you leave. And please, I am begging you, if you meet up with Scott after your shift, don’t get into any trouble. I’ve had enough calls concerning you two to last me two lifetimes.”

Stiles just rolled his eyes, bobbing his head so his dad knew he heard him.

“ Come on dad, I know. And Scott and I haven’t gotten into any trouble in  _ years _ . We know better now. We’re older, more responsible," Stiles finished with a shrug. 

The sheriff just raised a disbelieving eyebrow at his son.

“ Right. I’ll believe it when I see it. See you later,” he clapped Stiles on the shoulder before leaving in his patrol car.

Stiles chuckled softly, heading back upstairs to change for work. One perk about working at the bookstore was there wasn’t a uniform or strict dress code he had to oblige by. Stiles threw on his favorite pair of jeans and red t-shirt, throwing one of his plaid button-ups on over it. He grabbed his wallet and phone and locked up before heading out to his jeep.

_ I wonder if that guy will come in today… I sure hope not… or do I? There’s no reason for him to come in though, he just bought two books yesterday. He can’t possibly have read them both. He won’t be in. And that’s good. I don’t wanna see him again, anyway. _

Except that he did. Stiles wasn’t sure what it was that had piqued his curiosity, maybe it was the guy’s rudeness or maybe it was the guy’s good looks, but whatever the reason Stiles hadn’t stopped thinking about him. His curiosity was pushed to the back of his mind when he arrived at work.

Stiles unlocked the front door and let himself in, turning on the lights as he breathed deeply. The familiar smell of books wafting through the air made him sigh in content. He’d always found the scent of books to be a comforting one. Probably because it reminded him of his mother reading him to bed. 

Stiles clocked in and then found a list of things the owner expected him to have done by the end of his shift. At least today wouldn’t be mind-numbingly boring.

_Well…unless_ he _doesn’t come in again._

Stiles mentally slapped himself and forced himself to focus on completing the tasks on the list.

All thoughts of a tall, brooding, handsome guy had effectively been pushed away. A few customers trickled in throughout the early half of his shift, keeping Stiles somewhat busy, but after his lunch break the place went back to being dead just like yesterday. Stiles wondered if this was going to be a daily occurrence. If so, he was pretty sure he was gonna go out of his freaking mind after only a few weeks.

With only half an hour left of his shift, Stiles was spinning around slowly in his chair behind the counter as his mind wandered. After a while, his focus drifted back to work and he did a quick sweep of the store with his eyes. It was as empty as ever and Stiles really doubted anyone else would be coming in for the last fifteen minutes of his shift.

He debated if he should clock out early, his teeth worrying at his bottom lip the entire time. He really wanted to leave so that he could actually go and do something fun, on the other hand it was only his second day working there.

Deciding he was going to leave, Stiles turned around to clock out before turning back to the counter to grab his stuff. Only, suddenly there was someone behind the counter.

“ Jesus Christ!”

Stiles stumbled backwards in shock, tripping over the chair and hitting his head against the shelf behind the counter. 

“ Shit! That hurt…”

He shook his head, trying to shake off the throbbing in his skull before apologizing to the customer.

“ Sorry about that, I didn’t realize someone was h- Oh. It’s you.”

Stiles gaped in surprise, recognizing the person as the guy from yesterday, scowl and all. He stared at the guy incredulously for a few moments before realizing that he was in fact  _ staring _ . Recalling what Isaac had said yesterday, Stiles flashed a friendly grin at the guy.

“ Sorry, you scared me. Oh and sorry about yesterday too, you uh- scared me then too. I’m Stiles by the way.”

He chuckled weakly, unsure of what else to say, before grinning again. He was met with silence and a scowl. Not expecting a response, Stiles sighed and reached his hand out for whatever the guy was planning on buying.

“ Maybe I wouldn’t scare you if you were actually aware of your surroundings. Do you purposefully tune everything out or are you really that dense,  _ Stiles _ ?”

Stiles had his eyes on the book in the customer’s hand, but upon hearing that his eyes flicked up to the guy's face. Stiles stared at him incredulously, trying to process if he had heard him right.

“ Wha- Well maybe if you didn’t sneak around like a soundless ninja I’d actually know you were around!” he huffed out in anger.

_ So much for Isaac’s theory of yesterday just being a bad day for this guy… Every day’s a bad day for him… He’s an ass… _

Said ass quirked an eyebrow at Stiles.

“ A ninja? Really?”

Stiles just glared at him before deciding that the guy wasn’t worth getting so worked up over and let out a heavy sigh.

“ Just forget it. Is that all for you?” Stiles gestured at the book in the guy’s hand.

The guy nodded and placed the book onto the counter. Stiles really wanted to just ring the guy up and leave, but just because the guy insisted on being an ass didn’t mean Stiles had to be one too. And his curiosity had been piqued once again.

Stiles looked at the guy questioningly as he scanned and bagged the book.

“ That’ll be $8.50”

The guy handed over a ten and Stiles gave him his change and receipt before finally blurting out his question.

“ So, not that it’s really any of my business, but you were just in here yesterday. Did you already finish the books you bought?”

Unsurprisingly, his question was met with a glare. Stiles figured that was the answer to his question but then the guy’s scowl slowly softened into a genuine smile. Stiles instantly relaxed, thinking that maybe the guy wasn’t so bad, also noting how nice his smile was before it quickly morphed back into a scowl.

“ You’re right; it isn’t any of your business.”

And with that, the guy snatched his purchase out of Stiles’ hand and stormed out of the store. Stiles stood there, completely stunned by the guy's behavior.

He gripped the edge of the counter and drummed his fingers against it as he tried to figure out what he could’ve possibly done to make the guy hate him so much. He knew better than to take it personally, for all he knew that’s how the guy treated everyone he came into contact with, but it was hard not to.

A text from Scott asking him to come over when he was off work snapped Stiles out of his train of thought. He threw his stuff into his pockets before locking up and heading over to his best friend’s house.

~*~

He pulled into the McCall’s driveway and let himself in out of habit. As he made it to the top of the stairs, Scott’s mom was walking down the hallway in a towel, her eyes bugging when she saw him.

“ Jesus, Stiles! It’s called knocking!”

He squeezed his eyes shut and ducked into Scott’s room as he yelled down the hall, “Sorry!”

Blissfully unaware of his best friend damn near seeing his mother naked, Scott flashed a toothy grin at Stiles before flicking his attention back to his TV.

“ Hey buddy! So, here’s the plan: we’re going to let video games turn our brains to mush for the next few hours, then we are going to order two large pizzas and then we’re going to turn on the scary movie that just came out and scream like little kids. Sound good to you? Awesome! Grab a controller.”

Shaking his head in amusement, Stiles grabbed Scott’s other controller off of his desk and plopped down next to him on the bed. They played for a few hours, friendly bickering flowing through the room.

“ No Allison tonight?” Stiles eventually asked.

The smashing of the controls filled the silence before Scott answered.

“ Nope. We saw a movie but then she had to go home for family dinner or game night or something. She invited me to stay when I dropped her off at home but when she did her dad looked like he was ready to reach for one of his guns.”

Stiles chuckled at the nervous look on his best friend’s face and bumped his shoulder against Scott’s.

“ So, naturally, you ran 'cause you enjoy having a pulse.”

Scott chuckled and nodded in agreement. 

“ Besides, I’ll take spending time with you over being glared at all night anytime. I miss you buddy," Scott confided. 

Stiles dropped his controller and brought his hands to his heart, feigning he was on the verge of tears.

“ I miss you too, buddy. My world is empty without you!” he cried dramatically.

Scott just rolled his eyes and laughed as Stiles tried to bring him in for a kiss on the cheek, pushing him away gently.

“ Alright, alright. That’s enough, you idiot. Come on, time to order those pizzas. I’m starving.”

Scott hopped off of his bed to grab his phone before dialing the number of their favorite pizza place, ordering two larges with extra cheese. Scott’s mom popped into his room just as he got off the phone, telling them that she was going out for a few hours and kissing Scott on the cheek.

“ I won’t be out too late. And boys, please, do not destroy the house!”

Scott just chuckled and said okay to placate his mother, while Stiles just dropped his jaw and looked affronted.

“ Seriously? You and my dad act like we wreak havoc wherever we go.”

Ms. McCall raised an eyebrow at Stiles

“ Really, Stiles? I’ve lost count of how many times you two have broken the law. If my house isn’t in the condition I left it in when I come back, I will ban you.”

Stiles’ eyes bugged at the threat.

“ Wha- Ban me?! You can’t ban me!”

“ Watch me.”

With that, Melissa McCall patted both boys on the cheek before taking her leave. Stiles just groaned before sending a pleading look Scott’s way.

“ Can we just get an apartment together already? I mean really? Ban me? One doesn’t simply ban Stiles…”

He trailed off, grumbling under his breath about unfair treatment. Scott chuckled and gripped Stiles by the shoulders, guiding him downstairs to wait for their pizza.

“ She wouldn’t really ban you bud, you know that. She loves you like a second son.”

~*~

A while later the boys were sprawled across the living room floor as they finished up eating. Stiles threw the crust of his fifth slice into the box before leaning back to rest his back against the front of the couch with a sigh.

“ Ugh. I think I’m full.”

Scott picked up his friend’s discarded crust and started nibbling at it, nodding.

“ So, how’s the bookstore going?” he asked as he crawled over to throw the movie into the player.

Stiles shrugged as he closed the pizza boxes and threw them onto the coffee table.

“ It’s alright. Not terrible. Could be worse I guess. Not a lot of customers. The books are nice company. What are we watching anyways?”

Stiles caught the case that had been tossed at him in the form of an answer. Scott pushed himself onto his feet to hit the light and threw some pillows from the couch down for them to lay on.

“ I heard it was really scary. Even Jackson got scared and he never admits to movies scaring him.”

Stiles chuckled as he tossed the case onto the table before getting comfortable.

“ And Lydia?”

Scott hit play and got comfortable as well.

“ She screamed so much Jackson’s ears were ringing for over an hour. The girls got some lungs.”

The movie started playing, ceasing the boy’s conversation. They both tried to play it tough at first but after they both visibly jumped, they linked their arms, quietly laughing each time they got scared. At a particularly scary part Scott grabbed Stiles’ side, a not-so manly squeal erupting from his mouth. Stiles then proceeded to beat his best friend with a pillow before they both settled down to watch the rest of the movie.

Once the credits started rolling, Scott hopped up to flick the living room lights back on. Stiles squeezed his eyes shut to adjust to the change before slowly opening them again. Both boys threw their pillows back onto the couch before heading back upstairs.

“ Alright, so that was some messed up shit,” Stiles admitted. “Totally staying the night.”

Scott nodded in agreement as he collapsed onto his bed, a sheepish grin on his face.

“ We’re total pansies aren’t we?” he asked.

“ The pansiest,” Stiles affirmed with a quiet chuckle, falling into Scott’s desk chair.

He whipped his phone out and texted his dad, letting him know that he was staying at Scott’s.

It was kind of late, but they weren’t exactly tired so they played video games for a few more hours before calling it a night.

After getting ready for bed, Stiles got settled onto his air mattress and crossed his arms under his head. Now that there was nothing to distract him, his thoughts quickly drifted to the jerk from work. He took a deep breath before breaking the silence that had enveloped the dark room.

“ Scott?” he whispered.

A few heartbeats later Stiles heard his best friend shuffling to the edge of his bed so that he could look down at Stiles.

“ Yea, buddy?”

Stiles chewed at his lip nervously before responding.

“ Remember what I told you about the guy from work yesterday?”

It was too dark for Stiles to be able to see clearly but he knew that his best friend was furrowing his eyebrows, trying to recall what Stiles was talking about.

“ Sorry, not really. Why? Was it important?”

Stiles sighed quietly, unsure of that himself, before shaking his head.

“ Don’t worry about it. ‘Night.”

Stiles then turned onto his side, curling his arm under his head and shut his eyes. Sleep insisted on evading him, though. He kept picturing the guy’s face, his scowl and his smile, kept hearing his voice, how gravely it was and how it sounded when it spit out Stiles’ name. Stiles groaned and buried his head into his pillow; he was never going to fall asleep at this rate. He decided to focus on Scott’s breathing. Eventually, he managed to fall asleep. 

~*~

A huge weight suddenly falling on him startled Stiles awake. His eyes flew open, trying to figure out what the hell was going on before he recognized his best friend’s smirk. He let out a disgruntled groan, falling back onto the mattress and covered his eyes with his arm.

“ Fuck off, Scott. It’s too early for this shit…”

He lifted his arm slightly to peek at the clock; it was a little after twelve. Okay, so maybe it wasn’t that early, but he still didn’t appreciate the rude awakening. He felt Scott’s weight roll off of him and heard his footsteps as he walked around his room.

“ Love you too buddy. No falling back to sleep. I’m gonna shower, then you’re gonna shower, and then we’re gonna go grab some breakfast. Well I guess it’s lunch time but I really want some pancakes. So you better be awake when I get back.”

With that, Scott headed into the bathroom adjoined to his room. Completely ignoring Scott’s order, Stiles rolled onto his side and let the sound of the shower lull him back to sleep. A few minutes later, a wet towel landing on him woke him up again.

“ I said no falling asleep! Shower! Now!” 

Stiles grumbled in complaint, flipping Scott off as he walked past him and into the bathroom. The soothing spray helped Stiles wake up and get into a better mood. The boys got dressed and half an hour later they were seated at the diner, chattering away as they waited for their waitress to take their order. Stiles was rambling on about one of the random facts he somehow contains in his head when his eyes briefly glanced up.

“ Shit!”

He grabbed for his menu, fumbling to open it up so he could hide behind it, earning him a look from Scott that was probably questioning his sanity.

“ What the hell are you doing?”

Stiles ignored Scott’s question, choosing instead to peek over the top of his menu to get a look at the Scowler from work. 

“ Stiles?” Scott prompted.

Stiles glanced at Scott before his eyes flicked back to the guy.

“ Ssh! The guy at the counter comes into the bookstore a lot,” he explained.

Scott furrowed his brows in confusion as he ducked his head down.

“ Okay, so?” Scott asked. 

Stiles sighed in exasperation.

“ So I don’t want him to see me,” he stated as if it were obvious.

Scott raised an eyebrow at his best friend.

“ Why don’t you want him to see you?”

Stiles opened his mouth to retaliate but, before he could come up with a plausible excuse, a familiar voice sounded from over his shoulder.

“ Stiles? Why, pray tell, are you hiding behind your menu? Hey Scott."

Scott nodded in greeting while Stiles jumped in surprise before looking back at the strawberry blonde standing behind him.

“ Lydia!” he hissed. “Be quiet! And don’t say my name!”

He gave her a stern look before going back to peeking over the top of his menu. The guy hadn’t looked over so Stiles let out a sigh of relief, thinking he was safe. But, in true Lydia fashion, she did the exact opposite of what she was told out of spite.

“ What was that,  _ Stiles _ ?” she asked, letting her voice sound clearly throughout the diner. “You want me to be quiet,  _ Stiles _ ? Why can’t I say your name,  _ Stiles _ ?”

Cursing the girl to the deepest pits of hell, Stiles dropped his menu, giving up on his charade. He looked up at the counter again, figuring the guy had probably seen him by now, at the same time that a woman traipsed into the diner and made her way over to the guy.

“ Derek! Could you be any slower?”

Stiles tried to tell himself not to listen, cause eavesdropping was wrong, right? Wrong. Very wrong. Convincing himself that it wasn’t his fault if he happened to overhear what they said, he paid rapt attention.

“ You’re the one who wanted coffee,” the guy snapped.

No, _Derek_ snapped.

A satisfied grin spread across Stiles’ face when it hit him that he finally knew the guy’s name. He whispered it quietly, testing it out. Realizing what he did and just how creepy it was, Stiles mentally shook himself and tried to divert his attention. But it’s not like he could turn his ears off and the woman wasn’t exactly trying to be quiet.

“ Oh come on Der-Bear, you’re looking for a caffeine fix too. You only need two things to function: books and coffee. Oh and me,” she added as an afterthought. “Just give them one of your death glares; our coffee will be ready in no time.”

She grinned at Derek mischievously, earning her an amused smirk. A few minutes later their coffee was placed on the counter, allowing the couple to leave as the woman looped her arm through Derek’s.

Now that they were gone, Stiles visibly relaxed as he slouched down into the booth. The whole transaction had bothered him for some reason, it had left him feeling… upset? That’s the only way Stiles could describe it, though he wasn’t sure why it had upset him.

Except for the fact that it proved that Derek’s animosity towards Stiles really was personal. Obviously he didn’t hate the woman, who Stiles now assumed was his girlfriend, and from what he saw Derek had been perfectly polite to the waitress behind the counter. Also, hearing the woman’s nickname for Derek had made him cringe.

“ Der-Bear…? Seriously?” he mumbled to himself.

Well it was more like he spit it out like venom, but Stiles either wasn’t aware of that or refused to admit it.

“ Der-what? Am I missing something? And why can't I say your name?" 

Stiles glanced up at Lydia, her expression a perfect mixture of confusion and boredom. Stiles quickly realized not everyone had been as transfixed by the couple’s transaction as he had been.

“ Oh, umm. Nothing. No reason," Stiles deflected, trying his best to ignore Scott’s curious stare.

Lydia shrugged before telling them bye, flipping her hair over her shoulder as she walked off to get the coffee she had originally come in for.

“ What was that about?” Scott inquired.

Stiles swallowed nervously before feigning sudden deafness as he held open his menu, actually taking the time to read it this time, his leg bouncing uncontrollably under the table.

“ So, you wanted pancakes right? I think I’m gonna get an omelet. Yea, an omelet sounds tasty. I’m in the mood for egg and cheesy goodness.”

And before Scott could press him any further, Stiles waved their waitress over.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter will be up on July 10th. See you then!
> 
> Come say hi and hang out: https://www.tumbler.com/blog/1gurgi1


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Teen Wolf belongs to MTV and Jeff Davis

Stiles drove Scott home after they were done eating, cranking the radio as loud as his jeep would allow to avoid any and all questions, before heading home himself. It was only when he was sprawled across his bed that he realized he didn’t want to be alone in the empty house. Sure he was  _ used _ to it, but that didn’t mean he  _ liked _ it.

Stiles briefly wished he was working but he had today and tomorrow off. And of course because he thought about work, thoughts about  _ him _ quickly followed. The woman had become another piece added to the puzzle that was Derek, a puzzle that Stiles was determined to solve, even if it killed him- and if Derek’s behavior was any indication, that was a high possibility.

Stiles found himself sitting at his desk, Google open, his long fingers poised over the keyboard,  _ Der _ somehow typed into the search box. During his musings, Stiles’ body had gone into autopilot, eager for whatever information it could seek out. Stiles froze, finally realizing what he had been about to do.

He silently cursed himself before frantically pushing his chair away from the desk, bringing his hands up to pull them through his unruly hair.

_ What the hell Stiles!? What are you thinking!? You don’t even know the guy’s last name! _ he internally chastised, as if not knowing the guy’s last name was the only thing wrong with what he had been about to do.

He briefly wondered how difficult it would be to figure out Derek’s last name, but then he caught himself and gave himself a mental shake.

_ No, Stiles, no! No, no, no. This is borderline creepy stalker stuff, and you are not a creepy stalker. No, you’re just mildly, okay extremely, curious. _

Desperate for a distraction, Stiles scrolled through his contacts before calling his friend Erica Reyes.

“ Hey, Batman, whatcha want?” she answered after a few rings.

Stiles rolled his eyes before answering.

“ Nice Erica, such a tactful way to answer the phone.”

Her amused laugh rang clearly through the line.

“ We both know I don’t possess any tact. I repeat, whatcha want?”

Stiles just chuckled, knowing that Erica had been the perfect choice.

“ I’m staging an intervention for myself and I choose you to lead said intervention.”

There was a beat of silence as she thought over his request before Erica answered.

“ Hmm, can we turn this intervention into a sleepover? I can bring Ben & Jerry’s and we can braid each other’s hair.”

And that was why Erica was the perfect choice. Instead of bombarding him with questions (though there would be plenty of that later, he was sure) she just accepted that he needed her to come over. Scott was, and always would be, his best friend, but he felt more comfortable confiding in Erica sometimes, and this was one of those times.

“ Whatever you want Catwoman, you’re the leader of this intervention after all.”

“ Too right. I’ll be there in an hour.”

Erica hung up, leaving Stiles to clean his room up a bit before she got there. Just as he finished cramming a pile of dirty laundry into his hamper, Erica sauntered into his room as if she owned the place. She threw her bag onto Stiles’ desk chair before falling onto his bed, smirking at him.

“ Ice creams in the freezer. I brought a few movies too. Figured we’d both enjoy watching dickheads getting their asses handed to them. I mean, that’s what this is about, right? A guy?”

“ Fighting with Boyd again?” Stiles deflected, not quite ready to get into it.

Erica scrunched her face up, as if she had bitten into something sour.

“ Not fighting. I’m pissed and being bitchy but he doesn’t have a clue as to why.”

Stiles cocked an eyebrow in question, prompting her to explain. She let out a frustrated sigh.

“ We were at a club the other night and he was dancing with this other girl and I just got so  _ angry _ . I know we aren’t official or anything but still, we went there  _ together _ . He should’ve been dancing with me and he didn’t even  _ ask _ …”

She bit at her lip nervously, a rare sign of vulnerability for Erica.

Stiles sat down next to her, taking a moment to think of what to say.

“ Well…did you ask him?” he hedged.

She scoffed, throwing him a _you-can’t-be-serious_ look before rolling onto her side and holding her head up with her hand.

“ No, I didn’t ask him. I didn’t think it was necessary. You go on a date to a club, you dance with your date. Apparently Boyd didn’t get that memo. He just made me jealous all night.”

She growled out the last part, making goosebumps appear on Stiles’ arms. Erica could be downright terrifying when she wanted to be.

Stiles gave her a minute to calm down before letting her know what he thought.

“ Ever think that maybe, just maybe, he was  _ trying _ to make you jealous? He obviously likes you, a lot, or he wouldn’t put up with your bitchiness and constant mood swings. Seriously Erica, give the guy a break and tell him how you feel. If you two keep dancing around each other like this you’re gonna end up hating each other,” Stiles finished, bracing himself for the wild girl’s reaction.

Her eyes narrowed and her nostrils flared, anger rolling off of her in waves. Stiles was ready to be yelled at and told off but then she slowly started to calm down, her face relaxing into an embarrassed smile.

“ You really think he likes me?” she asked shyly, avoiding eye contact.

Stiles rolled his eyes and lifted Erica’s head with his finger.

“ Like  _ soooo  _ much,” he drawled, pitching his voice to sound like a teenage girl.

Erica snorted, gently slapping his hand away before sliding off of his bed.

“ I thought I came over here to give you an intervention? Not get relationship advice from you of all people,” she commented but she was smiling warmly at him so he knew she appreciated it.

She slipped out of his room, reappearing with the tub of ice cream a few minutes later. She scooped out a spoonful before passing it to Stiles.

“ So, who is he?” she prompted.

Stiles considered lying but there was no point, Erica would force it out of him one way or another. He took a bite of ice cream before answering.

“ Just this guy that comes into the bookstore,” Stiles admitted with a relenting sigh.

Erica looked up with a smug smirk.

“ Is he hot?”

She waggled her eyebrows as she cleaned off her spoon and went in for another scoop. He gave a reluctant nod, sighing wistfully.

“ Very hot, but that’s really got nothing to do with it.”

He told her about the two times Derek had come into the store, about seeing him at the diner this morning, and about what he had been about to do before he called her. She aptly listened, being surprisingly quiet the entire time. Stiles finished, waiting for her to say something but all she did was put yet another spoonful of ice cream in her mouth. 

“ Well?” he asked impatiently.

Erica just shrugged her shoulders.

“ Well what? You’ve got a crush. I think it’s cute.”

She grinned at him as she poked him on the nose with her spoon before dropping it into the empty container.

Momentarily distracted, Stiles gaped at the empty container.

“ Damn Erica! I only got like five spoonfuls!”

The blonde chuckled, not feeling an ounce of guilt.

“ What can I say? I’m a growing girl.”

Stiles rolled his eyes and mumbled, “You’re something alright,” before continuing on, “And it’s not a crush. It’s not!” he added at her skeptical look.

“ Alright, I’ll bite. Why are you so curious about him then? Why can’t you stop thinking about him? Why’d you get upset when you saw him with that girl? If not a crush, what is it? Hmm?” she inquired as she quirked an eyebrow at him.

Stiles groaned, trying to think of a way to explain it to her.

“ Okay, yes, when you put it like that it sounds like I have a crush but I don’t. Yes he’s hot and yes he’s totally my type but that’s got nothing to do with it. You said it yourself, I’m  _ curious _ . That’s it. I wanna know who he is, why he reads so much, why he acts the way he does, why he seems to hate me. I just, I wanna  _ know _ him.”

“ Sounds like a crush to me,” Erica said in a singsong voice.

Stiles fixed her with a glare, starting to get frustrated.

“ Seriously though, haven’t you ever met someone who you just felt you  _ had _ to know everything you possibly could about them? In a totally non-creepy stalker way.”

Erica snorted and nodded slowly.

“ Yes. Boyd.”

Stiles stared at her before quickly turning his head away. He was starting to really regret talking about this with her.

“ Look, if you wanna get to know him so bad just keep talking to him whenever he comes into the store okay? You’ll wear him down eventually. You always do.”

Stiles frowned, unsure if he should feel insulted or not.

“ What’s that supposed to mean?”

Erica chuckled and patted him on the knee.

“ Stiles, you’re friends with Jackson. That’s a feat all on its own. You just be yourself and you end up growing on people,” she stated in a manner of fact tone. 

“ That’s just a nice way of saying I annoy people into being my friend, isn’t it?”

Erica feigned innocence and exclaimed, “I would never suggest such a thing!”

With that, she placed a kiss on his cheek before hopping off the bed.

“ Enough talk. It’s movie time. You go make some popcorn and I’ll get the first movie ready.”

They spent the next few hours watching cheesy, romantic comedies; Erica throwing popcorn at the TV every time the lead male would make a promise about forever as she scoffed in disbelief.

Halfway through the third movie, the sheriff came home and popped his head into Stiles’ room to check in; he was surprised to see Erica (“Hey, Papa Stilinski!”) but told her she was always welcome.

When the last movie was over, Erica hopped down the hall to change for bed. She came sauntering back into Stiles’ room in a t-shirt and some hipsters, which ironically sported the Batman symbol across her butt.

“ Nice to see you’re still the epitome of modesty,” Stiles commented when he looked up from the book he was reading.

Erica did a little twirl before falling onto his bed and sliding under the covers.

“ I’m comfy and it’s not like you’re interested so what’s it matter?”

Stiles rolled his eyes and went back to reading his book, not dignifying her with a response while Erica watched TV.

He finished the chapter he was on and marked his place before setting his book on his bedside table.

“ It’s pointless to try to convince you to sleep somewhere else isn’t it?” he asked.

Erica nodded.

“ Yepp,” she replied, making her lips pop on the last syllable. 

Stiles shot her a glare.

Unperturbed, Erica just stuck her tongue out at him before shutting the TV off and curling onto her side.

Chuckling softly, Stiles got up to shut the light off before crawling in beside Erica. The blonde let out a quiet yawn and tousled Stiles’ hair, whispering, “Night, Batman.”

Stiles smiled fondly and whispered back, “Night, Catwoman.”

~*~

The next morning, a weird sensation on his toes jolted Stiles awake. He sat up with a yelp, thinking that maybe there was a toe devouring demon in his bed. Hey, it could happen. But no, it was just Erica. Painting his toenails…

“ What the hell are you doing!?” Stiles demanded as he pulled his foot out of the crazy girl’s reach.

She just grabbed his thin ankle, holding it in place as she finished his pinky toe. “There, all finished. Stay still for a few minutes or they won’t dry properly,” she said with a satisfied smirk as she twisted the cap back onto the bottle.

Stiles gaped at his toes before glaring at his friend.

“ Care to  _ explain _ why my toenails are  _ pink _ ?” Stiles hissed.

“ Ah-ah, fuchsia,” she corrected with a wag of her finger. “And I was bored. I had to do something,” she explained as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

Stiles fell backwards with a groan, seriously questioning his choices in friends.

“ You could’ve, oh I don’t know, woke me up,” he suggested.

“ Well, I tried, but you sleep like the dead, Stiles. Besides, you aren’t the nicest person when you first wake up.”

Stiles heard her walking around his room and he sat up to see what she was doing. He noticed that she was fully dressed and throwing her movies and stuff back into her bag.

“ Leaving already?” Stiles asked.

Erica nodded as she slung her bag over her shoulder.

“ Yea, gonna take your advice and talk to Boyd. Which means you’ve gotta take my advice too. Get to know your non-crush that’s so totally a crush. Love you!”

She blew him a kiss and exited with a wink.

Stiles was still trying to process the whirlwind that was Erica when his stomach gave an audible growl, urging him to fill it with food. Knowing there was no chance of going back to sleep at this point, Stiles gave a relenting sigh and got out of bed.

Before heading downstairs, he threw on a pair of socks to hide the affronting color on his nails.

_ Great, now I’m going to have to invest in some nail polish remover,  _ he thought as he trudged downstairs and into the kitchen.

Stiles pulled down the pancake batter from the pantry and measured out some water. As he waited to flip his pancake, Stiles did a quick inventory and decided to go to the store when he was done eating. The Stilinski household was in desperate need of food-restocking.

Once it had reached the perfect golden-brown color, Stiles slapped his pancake onto a plate and drowned it in butter and syrup.

When he was finished eating and rinsing his plate off, Stiles grabbed some food money and changed before heading out for the grocery store. He grabbed a cart and headed straight over to grab a bottle of nail polish remover. Logically, Stiles knew that no one probably cared that he was buying some. Still, he felt like all eyes were on him as he grabbed a bottle and made a beeline for the grocery section.

Stiles usually always did the shopping when he was home. If he let his dad do it he’d just bring snacks and frozen dinners home. The fact that there had been bacon in the house showed that the sheriff was a poor shopper when Stiles was away. So he quickly fell into the routine of it. He filled the cart, sneaking in a few snacks he’d have to hide from the sheriff. Almost done, Stiles was in the produce section putting a few apples into a plastic sack when his heart stopped yet again.

“ You weren’t at the bookstore.”

The random statement came from behind him, startling Stiles. He jumped and nearly ended up knocking some apples onto the floor. Stiles braced himself against his cart, clutching at his chest until his heart settled down before turning to glare at Derek.

“ Is this gonna turn into a regular thing?” Stiles demanded as he gestured between the two of them. “Do I have to put a cat bell on you? Christ, it’s not that hard to announce yourself!” he snapped, earning the pair some curious looks from other shoppers.

Stiles’ cheeks heated up when he realized how loud he had been.

“ I had yesterday off. Today too,” he lowered his voice and confirmed Derek’s original statement.

“ Ah,” Derek said simply.

Stiles waited for him to say more but he didn’t. He couldn’t figure out why Derek had bothered to come up to him if he wasn’t going to talk.

“ I’m sure it made your visit to the bookstore so much easier,” Stiles snapped, unsure of why he was already so angry.

Derek got under his skin way too easily for his liking. Why he wanted to know the guy was beyond him. Derek just shrugged, grabbed an apple and tossed it into the air. He caught it and put it into a plastic sack before putting it into the basket hanging from his arm.

“ I prefer my usual cashier.”

Stiles shot the older man a glare, the dig hurting more than he thought it could.

“ Well sorry, he quit. You’re stuck with me or whoever’s working.”

With that, he grabbed his cart and moved on. Surprisingly, Derek fell into step beside him.

“ I was talking about you, actually.”

If it weren’t for him holding onto his cart, Stiles probably would’ve fallen from shock. Stiles turned his head to gape at Derek, briefly wondering if he had woken up in an alternate universe.

“ Did you just come from the doctor’s? Are you sick? You’re sick, aren’t you? Are you dying? Hot damn, I did not see that coming!” Stiles rambled off, totally losing Derek.

“ Stiles?”

“ Hmm?”

“ Shut up and explain what the hell you’re talking about.”

Stiles opened his mouth but then snapped it shut, sending a conflicted look Derek’s way. Derek quirked an eyebrow in question.

“ What?”

“ Which is it? Shut up or explain? I can’t do  _ both _ , you know?”

Stiles smirked smugly, earning him a disapproving glare.

“ Okay, okay. Most people, when they find out they have like a terminal illness or something seek people out, apologize, make amends, stuff like that so they can leave the world in peace and I thought maybe that’s what you were doing what with you being…civil towards me when you’ve made it pretty clear that you despise my very being and all.”

Stiles hoped that Derek hadn’t caught the disappointed tone his voice had taken when he said that last part.

Stiles saw a weird expression overcome Derek’s face out of the corner of his eye, the closest thing he could compare it to was a frown but it wasn’t a frown exactly either.

“ I don’t  _ despise _ you,” Derek refuted, stopping when Stiles stopped to grab some oranges and lemons.

Stiles scoffed loudly, earning him a few more stares.

“ Ha! Could’ve fooled me what with the rudeness, the scowling and the  _ growling _ . Care to explain that?”

“ Look, I don’t want to be here okay? I was forced to come back to this stupid town so excuse me for not tripping over myself in excitement,” Derek, you guessed it, growled back at Stiles.

“ But that doesn’t mean I should take it out on you or anyone else for that matter,” he amended in a softer tone.

Stiles stood there, stunned for a moment. He was pretty sure that’s the most he’d heard Derek say at one time. Stiles gave himself another moment to gather his thoughts. He was actually learning some things and he wanted to know more.

“ Why’d you come back then?” he asked.

Derek glanced away before glaring at Stiles. 

“ I don’t want to talk about it.”

He didn’t sound angry but he made it clear that his answer was final. Stiles wasn’t really one to respect boundaries though.

“ You can, you know? Talk about it, I mean. That’s what friends do right?” Stiles asked hopefully, not expecting Derek’s response whatsoever, his face hardening into his most terrifying scowl yet.

“ We are  _ not _ friends!”

With that, Derek dropped his basket of groceries and turned to head towards the exit.

Stiles was dumbfounded for a moment, unsure of what had happened. One minute Derek was being civil, dare he say  _ nice _ . The next he was back to being Growly McGrowlington. Stiles prided himself in the nickname, thinking it suited him quite nicely.

“ Your mood swings are gonna give me whiplash! Asshole!” Stiles yelled after Derek’s retreating figure.

Naturally, Derek completely ignored him. Other shoppers though, they were all giving Stiles curious looks. Again. Stiles just ducked his head and hurried over to an open register, more than ready to go home.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter will be up on July 17th. See you then!
> 
> Come say hi and hang out: https://www.tumbler.com/blog/1gurgi1


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Teen Wolf belongs to MTV and Jeff Davis

Every time the bell above the entrance of the store announced another customer Stiles tensed up, forcing himself not to look. The store was actually busy for a change so it wasn’t that difficult. Still, there were times that Stiles had to try to convince himself that he didn’t care if Derek came through the door or not. 

Around five-thirty the store emptied of all customers, leaving Stiles to suffer through two and a half more hours of work. Stiles got even jitterier as the minutes ticked by, waiting to see if Derek would show but also desperately wanting to go home. 

Stiles tensed for probably the millionth time that day when the bell above the door sounded. He attempted to force himself to look anywhere but the door, but he gave in and let his eyes slowly roam in that direction. 

Stiles’ shoulders sagged in relief, and maybe just a tinge of disappointment, when he saw the familiar curly blond hair.

“ Hey Isaac,” he mumbled as he leaned against the counter, running his hand through his hair. 

Isaac frowned in mock offense. 

“ Don’t sound too enthused. You might hurt yourself.” 

The tall blond made his way over to the counter, letting his eyes sweep over the little store. 

“ Nice place. Quiet. Quaint,” he commented.

Stiles narrowed his eyes, starting to feel suspicious. It would be hard to tell but Isaac was acting weird. 

“ What are you doing here Isaac? You don’t read,” Stiles bit out, sounding unintentionally harsh. 

Isaac’s eyes widened in surprise. 

“ I read. Geez, what crawled up your ass?” 

Stiles ignored the question and scoffed. 

“ Comic books. You read comic books.” 

Isaac nodded in agreement.

“ Yes and that totally counts.” 

Stiles rolled his eyes and fixed Isaac with a glare.

“ Whether it counts or not, you aren’t going to find any comic books here. So I repeat, what are you doing here?” Stiles asked as he wove his arms around to indicate the store. 

“ What? I can’t just stop by to see a friend?” he asked. 

Stiles raised a skeptical eyebrow, knowing something was up. Isaac stayed quiet for a few minutes before relenting.

“ Okay! Me and Scott ran into Erica and Boyd yesterday, who have no qualms with PDA by the way, and Erica mentioned something about your man-crush-“

“ Oh my god!” Stiles cried, formulating a plan to get back at Erica. 

Isaac ignored him and carried on.

“ -Which led to Scott telling us about the diner yesterday and I mentioned your rants-“

“ I hate you all!” Stiles interrupted with a hiss.

“ -Point is, we’re all worried about you so I came to check up on you. Make sure you’re doing alright?”

“ I need new friends,” Stiles mumbled under his breath. 

He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down. 

“ Look, I appreciate that you guys care. I do. But Erica’s wrong. It’s not a crush. It’s not!” Stiles added at the blond's disbelieving stare. 

He opened his mouth to say more, but before he could the bell sounded again. Isaac stood directly in line with the door so Stiles saw who it was right away.

“ It’s him!” he squeaked, a totally manly squeak, under his breath, trying, unsuccessfully, to hide behind Isaac’s tall frame. 

There was no point though. Derek didn’t even glance his way before heading to the back of the store like always. 

Isaac glanced over his shoulder, taking Derek in, before looking back at Stiles with a smug smirk.

“ That’s him, huh? Alright, I’ll be right back.”

Before Stiles could even think of stopping him, Isaac pushed away from the counter and made his way over to him. 

Dread consumed Stiles as he watched Isaac walk up and say something to Derek, who then paused before looking over at Stiles. Stiles quickly turned his head away and rubbed at his neck, trying to play off that he hadn’t totally been staring. 

Stiles busied himself with needlessly rearranging the shelf behind the counter, curiosity nagging at him, needing to know what his friend was saying. After what felt like an eternity, in reality barely two minutes, Isaac sauntered back up to the counter.

“ He’s a little surly, not exactly talkative, but he seems nice enough,” the blond surmised. “Remind me what the problem is again?” he asked. 

Stiles glanced over at Derek who had gone back to browsing books before looking back at Isaac.

“ It’s a front! Make one wrong move; say one wrong thing and he’ll be on you like a ninja!” Stiles explained quietly so he wouldn’t be overheard. 

Isaac rolled his eyes and scoffed. 

“ A ninja? Really?” 

Stiles, momentarily distracted, looked affronted. 

“ Why’s everyone ask that when I bring up ninjas? Ninjas are some scary dudes. Would not want to be caught in a dark alley with one.” 

Realizing his tangent, Stiles shook his head and went back to the topic of Derek. 

“ Anyways, if he’s as nice as you think, explain why he’s all scowls and mood swings around me then, huh?”

Isaac looked back at Derek before glancing back at Stiles with a raised eyebrow. 

“ Maybe it’s just you he can’t stand?” the blond suggested. 

Stiles shook his head. 

“ He told me himself that isn’t it,” he negated, furrowing his eyebrows in frustration. 

“ Maybe it’s like a first graders crush thing, ya know? You like someone but you don’t really know how to handle it so you tease them relentlessly.” 

Stiles just glared at the ridiculous thought. 

“ Seriously Isaac? We really need to stop encouraging that behavior in kids. And the guy’s what? Twenty-five, maybe? Pretty sure that’s not it. Besides, he’s got a girlfriend,” Stiles told him as if that settled the matter. 

Before either of them could say anything else, Derek approached the counter with the books he had picked out. He looked tense, mirroring exactly how Stiles felt. Stiles swallowed nervously, gesturing at Isaac.

“ I’m working! Helping a customer. Not being oblivious…or dense…” 

Stiles trailed off, unsure of why he felt he had to explain himself. Derek raised an eyebrow in confusion, glanced at Isaac, before his eyes flitted back to Stiles.

“ Yea, I can see that,” he said slowly as he placed his selections on the counter to be rung up. 

Stiles sighed, cursing his odd behavior, before reaching for the books. 

“ Find everything okay?” he asked dutifully. 

Derek nodded in answer and Stiles had to give the guy credit, he had yet to scowl. Suddenly an idea hit Stiles, a grin spreading across his face.

“ That’ll be twenty dollars, sir,” Stiles said jovially. 

Derek frowned in confusion, sliding a twenty across the counter. Stiles grabbed it and popped it into the register before handing Derek his receipt, along with a five dollar bill. Derek looked at it curiously before glaring at Stiles.

“ You don’t owe me any change,” Derek explained unnecessarily. 

Stiles’ grin grew even wider. 

“ Oh but I do. That first day you gave me a twenty for a fifteen dollar purchase. I’m not allowed tips,” Stiles explained smugly as he slid the five closer to Derek. 

“ I don’t want it,” Derek adamantly refused. 

He went to reach for his bag of books but Stiles beat him to it, dancing slightly out of his reach. 

“ You can only take these when you take the five.” 

The look Derek gave him was murderous. Any sane person would have quailed under it but Stiles was far from sane. 

“ Stiles…” Derek growled ominously. “Just do me a favor and keep the five!”

Stiles dropped the bag to his side and shot Derek a withering look. 

“ Why should I do you a favor? We aren’t friends after all!” Stiles bit out. 

He groaned internally at the wrong turn his plan had taken. Derek was supposed to chuckle, maybe smile a small smile, say thanks, and then they’d start working on the being friends thing. But no, Derek had to be a stubborn ass. 

Derek sighed, rolling his eyes.

“ Is that what this is about? You’re ridiculous…” he mumbled as he pocketed the five, holding his hand out for his books. 

Stiles was stunned that he had given in so easily, but then a breathtaking smile spread across his face as he handed Derek’s prized books over. He was starting to think that Derek was a big softie in wolf’s clothing. 

Derek left, leaving Stiles to turn his attention back to Isaac who had watched their whole interaction with rapt amusement. 

Stiles frowned and asked, “What?”

Isaac just chuckled as he shook his head. 

“ It is so a crush,” he called over his shoulder as he made his way to the door, leaving no time for Stiles to correct him. 

Later, when his shift was over and Stiles made his way out to his jeep, there was a five dollar bill held down by his windshield wiper. Stiles wanted to be irritated, but he couldn’t fight the grin spreading across his face as he pocketed the bill. 

~*~

The next day the store was completely void of any customers, leaving Stiles to wait anxiously, and hopefully, for Derek’s arrival. The guy came in at irregular times each day so there was no way of knowing when to expect him. 

Stiles had spent the previous night laying flat on his bed, holding the five dollar bill over his head and staring at it as if it would give him answers, imploring it to do so. 

While no answers were given, Stiles did sort of manage to devise a plan of action to take. So naturally, when Derek did arrive, any logical sense Stiles may have possessed evaporated. 

As always, Derek ignored him and went straight to browsing the store's selections. 

Despite Derek buying books from him for nearly a week, Stiles was shocked to realize that he had no idea what kind of books interested the guy. Stiles frowned in disappointment, adding it to the list of things he didn’t know about him. The list could be turned into a series of novels at this point. 

After about ten minutes, Stiles _so_ didn’t count; Derek made his way up to the counter empty handed. Stiles looked at him questioningly. 

“ No books?” he asked unnecessarily. 

Derek scowled, giving him an  _ isn’t-it-obvious  _ look. 

“ Obviously,” the older man drawled. 

Stiles couldn’t help but snicker; he sounded very much like Snape when he told Umbridge off during his inspection. 

His snickering earned him a deeper scowl that he somehow managed to turn into a questioning gaze. Stiles waved him off, not bothering to explain his line of thought.

“ How can I help you then?” he asked dutifully, but it was no use. 

Stiles couldn’t help the grin on his face; he was now picturing Derek with slicked back greasy hair and Snape’s black robe. This led to him dissolving into an uncontrollable fit of giggles against the counter. 

Derek had foregone the scowling, choosing instead to look at Stiles as if he had lost his mind.

“ Stiles?” Derek asked before he lost his patience. “Focus!” he snapped. 

Stiles nodded in agreement and wheezed out between breaths, “Sorry, sorry. Funny thought. Sorry. Again, how can I help you?” he repeated, grinning at Derek. 

Derek rolled his eyes, fighting back a grin of his own; it was hard not to want to grin in Stiles’ presence, before answering. 

“ I wanted to order some books that aren’t in stock.” 

Stiles nodded, thinking triumphantly he’d be able to figure out what kind of stuff Derek read. He pulled an order slip out from under the desk and slid it towards Derek with a pen. 

The pair was silent as Derek filled the slip out before Stiles broached the question he had wanted to ask since last night. 

“ So, how’d you know that the jeep was mine?” he asked nonchalantly, as if he were asking about the weather. 

Stiles had to bite back a chuckle when he saw Derek’s pen pause mid-stroke. He quickly recovered though as he went back to writing.

“ Educated guess,” he huffed out, sliding the slip back to Stiles. 

Stiles filled out his part and started placing the order on the computer. 

“ Okay Sherlock. It should be here in about two to three weeks, unless you wanna pay more for shipping?” 

Derek declined by shaking his head, “No, that’s fine.” 

Stiles nodded and finished placing the order.

“ What if the jeep hadn’t been mine?” Stiles asked, taking advantage of Derek being in a somewhat talkative mood. 

Well, talkative by Derek’s standard. Derek just shrugged his shoulders, shoving his hand into the pockets of his leather jacket.

“ Then someone else would be five dollars richer,” Derek replied absently as he handed over his credit card, his eyes drifting to a shelf off to the side of the counter before stepping over to it. 

Stiles watched with interest as Derek’s eyes roamed over the selections, his hand reaching to slide a finger down the spines of a few books that caught his interest, his mouth slowly mouthing titles. All of these mannerisms fascinated Stiles, a blush spreading across his face when Derek caught him shamelessly staring.

“ What?” he demanded with a scowl, stepping back to the counter with a book in hand to place on the counter. 

Stiles shook his head and grabbed the book to ring it up. 

“ Nothing,” he mumbled as he turned around to grab a bag to put the book in. 

He took a few minutes before turning around and handed Derek the bag along with his receipt. Derek stood there for a moment, looking like he was about to say something, but then he just turned and left without another word. 

Stiles would’ve been annoyed, but he was too busy leaning against the counter, burying a grin into his arm. He wondered how long it would take Derek to find the five he had slid into the middle of the book.

~*~

And so started their pattern for the rest of the week. They kept coming up with ways to slip the five back to the other without them noticing. 

Well, Stiles would come up with ways. Derek would just slam the bill onto the counter, glaring until Stiles sighed and slipped it into his pocket only to return it to Derek unbeknownst to him shortly after. 

This led them to now, glaring at each other across the counter; the innocent five dollar bill sitting between them. 

They had been doing so for at least five minutes now, earning them curious looks from a few customers and an amused smirk from Isaac who had taken to frequenting the store just to see Stiles’ and Derek’s ‘hilarious’ interactions. 

Derek, surprisingly, broke the silent glare fest first. 

“ Just take the damn bill Stiles!” 

“ No!” Stiles, ever the stubborn one, refused. 

Thus resumed the silent glare fest. 

Isaac took it upon himself then to intervene lest the bookstore turn into a murder scene. The blond reached between the two glaring idiots and grabbed the five, slipping it into his pocket.

“ There. Problem solved. Care to explain what the point of all this is?” he demanded, earning him a glare from the both of them. 

Then both of their faces morphed into matching confused frowns.

“ I-I’m not sure…” Stiles mumbled while Derek just went back to scowling like usual. 

“ I was trying to prove a point but I kinda forgot what it was,” he rubbed at his neck and chuckled innocently. 

Derek rolled his eyes and huffed in annoyance.

“ What point could forcing a five on me possibly prove?”

Stiles bristled and got defensive.

“ I don’t know, okay? I’m just trying to be your friend dumbass!"

The boy’s eyes widened when he heard himself admit that. Derek stared at him blankly. Isaac just watched the two with a bored expression, not surprised to hear Stiles' confession. 

Isaac pushed away from the counter and waved at the two.

“ Well, now that that’s out, I’m gonna go. Play nice you two. Try not to kill each other.” 

The bell rang as Isaac took his leave. That’s when Stiles noticed that any other customers had left as well. Leaving just the two of them. 

Stiles groaned, and buried his head into his hands. He was set on burying himself in a hole and never coming out, but then he heard a weird sound coming from Derek. 

Stiles peaked between his fingers to see Derek chuckling. As if that wasn’t shocking enough, his chuckling soon turned into a full blown laugh. 

Derek was hot. Illegally so. Stiles had no problem thinking that. But Derek laughing was just…gorgeous. 

Stiles lowered his hands and slowly started to laugh with Derek.

“ What are you laughing at?” he asked between chuckles. 

Derek slowly composed himself before shaking his head, looking at Stiles curiously. 

“ You’re…ridiculous,” he finally said. 

Stiles grinned self-consciously and started to fidget. 

“ Is that a bad thing?” 

“ No,” Derek denied. “I…like my friends ridiculously stubborn,” he said slowly, gauging Stiles’ reaction. 

Stiles was shocked at first before smiling softly as he leaned against the counter.

“ Yea? I like my friends to be broody and master scowlers.” 

Stiles’ smile turned into a wide grin when Derek rolled his eyes, chuckling quietly. Stiles crossed his arms over the counter and rested his head on them, enjoying the sight.

“ You know,” he broached. “You never told me your name?” 

Yea, Stiles already knew his name but Derek didn’t know that Stiles knew because, thankfully, Derek was unaware of his brief profession in spying on people in diners. Derek instantly sobered and gave Stiles a curious look.

“ You already know my name,” he corrected. 

Stiles balked, chuckled nervously, before shrugging his shoulders.

“ I mean yea, but it’d be nice to hear it from you instead of knowing it because I read it on your order slip.” 

Derek stares at him pointedly and shakes his head before calling him out on his lie. 

“ You knew my name before I placed that order.” 

“ Wha-“ Stiles started to ask, but then it hit him and he visibly paled before he buried his head into his arms with a groan.

“ No! You saw me? You totally saw me. This is so embarrassing!” Stiles complained, once again wanting to bury himself into a hole and never come out. 

“ More embarrassing than hiding behind a menu in a crowded diner?” Derek teased at Stiles’ expense, earning him a withering look from the younger boy. 

“Okay, I know it _looked_ like I was spying but I totally wasn’t!” Stiles defended. 

Derek scoffed and raised an eyebrow in question.

“ Okay, then why were you hiding?”

“ Because! You were all scowls and growls at the time,” Stiles chuckled at the little rhyme, “and when I saw you I hid on instinct! You’re truly terrifying Derek. Would it kill you to smile a little more?”

Stiles briefly considered reaching out to push Derek’s face into a smile to demonstrate but he was pretty sure he’d lose a hand if he did and well, he quite enjoyed having opposable thumbs. 

“How’d you know it was me anyways? Cause, like you said, I _was_ hiding. Quite effectively I may add.” 

Derek simply pointed at Stiles’ head before explaining. 

“ Your hair, for one. It was sticking out over the menu, but I wasn’t one hundred percent sure cause anyone could have hair like yours. But then your friend, the redhead, started saying your name rather loudly and not many people are named Stiles now are they?” Derek said smugly.

Stiles didn’t respond; too busy cursing his gravity defying hair and Lydia’s loud mouth to reply or correct Derek on Lydia’s hair color. She’s a strawberry blonde. Why didn’t people get that? 

“ That’s also how I knew the jeep was yours by the way. It’s always parked out front when you’re working and I saw it at the diner that day. Just put two and two together.” Derek said, shrugging off his deductive skills. 

Stiles was speechless, a rare phenomenon, unsure of what to say in response to that. They stood there, silently regarding each other until Derek’s eyes flitted to the watch on his wrist.

“ Uh, I should go,” he said slowly. 

Stiles nodded before he realized Derek was empty handed.

“ Not that it matters, but you aren’t going to buy anything?” 

Derek glanced down at his empty hands, only then seeming to notice they were indeed empty, furrowing his brows in confusion.

“ I-I didn’t come to buy anything,” he said uncertainly, sending a questioning look Stiles’ way. 

Stiles fidgeted nervously and bit at his lip.

“ Okay…” he trailed off; unsure of why Derek had come then. 

Derek just nodded at him before heading out of the store. 

Stiles sighed wistfully as he collapsed onto the counter, wishing that Derek could’ve stayed longer. 

Conversation was always stilted with Derek, but his presence was comforting somehow. Stiles flushed, pushing Erica and Isaac’s comments out of his head. 

It totally wasn’t a crush. 

  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter will be up on July 24th. See you then!
> 
> Come say hi and hang out: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/1gurgi1


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Teen Wolf belongs to MTV and Jeff Davis

So Stiles and Derek were friends now, but nothing really changed after that. 

They hadn’t exchanged numbers and they didn’t go out of their way to hang out with each other. Unless they ran into each other around town, which resulted only in a brief nod to acknowledge each other. The only time they saw each other was when Derek came into the store while Stiles was working. 

And even those interactions hadn’t changed much. Derek still scowled and said as little as possible, and Stiles continued to annoy him with his mindless chatter as he rang up Derek’s purchases. The only difference, which would go unnoticed by anyone else, was that Derek actually seemed to _want_ to listen to Stiles’ chatter now. 

If it weren’t for Derek holding up the line or distracting Stiles from his work, he probably would’ve stood there listening to Stiles all day. And Stiles, who had despised his job at first, now found himself eager to clock in cause, nine times out of ten, he would see Derek sometime that day. 

Since Stiles was a naturally happy person, it was hard to tell anything had changed in his life. Scott and his friends didn’t really notice anything. Since things were going okay with Derek now, Stiles didn’t really bring him up much to avoid being teased about his so-called crush that totally wasn’t a crush. And as attentive as Stiles’ father was, he wasn’t really around enough to notice such a subtle change. The only one who was really aware was Isaac, and that was only because he had a front row seat to the Derek and Stiles show. 

A week after Derek had claimed Stiles as a friend; things were going to take a slight turn. 

Stiles was anxious and jittery for two reasons. 

One, it had been a really slow day with little to no customers and Derek had yet to show. Two, despite wanting to see Derek, Stiles couldn’t wait to get off work so he could go see a movie he had been dying to see. 

Stiles had originally wanted to go see it with all of his friends. But Scott had finally been roped into family dinner night by Allison, Erica had a date with Boyd, Lydia refused to see the movie so Jackson was out too, and Isaac and Danny were both working. In the end, Stiles just said screw it and decided to see it by himself. Hell, at least this way he didn’t have to worry about sharing his popcorn. 

So when his shift was over, with still no sign of Derek, Stiles clocked out and locked up the store. He heard a car approaching and when he turned around; it was to see Derek sliding out of a sleek, black Camaro. Stiles threw his hands up before letting them fall in exasperation.

“ Seriously? You drive  _ that _ ? Why am I even surprised?” 

Derek just glared at Stiles as he patted his car reassuringly, as if it could actually be insulted by Stiles’ words. Derek then looked at Stiles questioningly.

“ You’re leaving,” he stated simply, a frown slowly forming. 

Stiles nodded in affirmation.

“ Um, yea. Shifts over. Stores closed.” 

He held his phone up, showing the time, to demonstrate his point before shoving it back into his pocket. 

Derek cursed silently and took a step forward.

“ Five minutes. That’s all I need,” he implored. 

Stiles fixed him with a glare and shook his head.

“ No way. You’re too late, not my problem. I am officially off duty. I have a movie I need to get to. You can come back tomorrow. I’m sure you’ve got plenty to read at home.” 

With that, Stiles stepped away from the building to make his way to the theater. It was only a few streets over so he decided to walk.

“ Stiles, please.” 

Stiles’ resolve had been set, but with the pleading tone in Derek’s voice it came shattering down. Stiles groaned and turned to Derek, glare back in place. 

“ Look, my movie will be over in two hours. Come back then and you can take as long as you want to pick a book, okay?” Stiles asked hopefully, itching to get to the theatre even if the movie didn’t start for another twenty minutes. 

Derek’s usual scowl was back in place. 

“ What am I supposed to do for two hours?”

Stiles just shrugged in annoyance.

“ I don’t know. You’ll figure something out,” Stiles said. 

Derek just continued to scowl. 

_Stubborn. He is too damn stubborn!_ Stiles thought exasperatedly with a groan.

“Oh my god! Look, the way I see it you’ve got three choices. You can come back when my movie is over, go home and wait till tomorrow, _or_ you can come see the movie with me and we’ll come back together. What’s it gonna be?” 

Stiles wasn’t sure what had made him invite Derek, but it was too late to take it back. And really, he was pretty sure Derek would refuse so it didn’t really matter. Derek regarded him silently, looking confused and, Stiles thought, vaguely suspicious.

“ You’d want me to go with you?” he finally asked.

Stiles just shrugged and sent Derek a reassuring, friendly grin. 

“ Sure, why not? Friends see movies together right?” he asked, chuckling nervously as he kicked at the sidewalk. 

Derek nodded in agreement, still standing there with that confused/suspicious look on his face. Stiles waited, checking the time on his phone before Derek broke the silence.

“ Okay…I’ll go,” Derek said, though he still sounded a little uncertain. 

Stiles sighed in relief before walking over to step behind Derek and grab him by his shoulders.

“ Come on then! I don’t wanna be late!” he said as he started pushing Derek along. 

Derek instantly stiffened and threw a murderous glare over his shoulder at Stiles.

“ Hey!” he snapped and Stiles released him as if he had been electrocuted.

“ Okay, big guy, hands are off,” he placated, falling into step beside the older man. 

“ Geez dude, you really are terrifying sometimes.” 

Derek huffed defensively at that.

“ I can’t be that terrifying. I didn’t scare you off,” he pointed out. 

Stiles just chuckled and shrugged.

“ What can I say? I don’t scare easily.” 

Derek rolled his eyes at that.

“Okay, okay,” Stiles relented. “You aren’t _that_ scary.”

“ Why’d you hide in the diner then?” Derek asked smugly. 

Stiles was getting confused. Did Derek want to be scary or not? Still, he went along with it.

“ _ Because _ , I thought you’d turn into Growly McGrowlington again and it was just too early for that. And  _ yes _ , I realize it was mid-afternoon at the time,” Stiles interrupted as Derek opened his mouth to argue. 

Derek just glared at him as Stiles grinned smugly for guessing right. 

“ Growly McGrowlington? Really Stiles?” 

Stiles just chuckled and shrugged again.

“ Well I could only think of you as ‘that guy’ or ‘jerk’ or ‘asshole’ for so long. I had to come up with something original,” he explained matter-of-factly. 

Derek shook his head, probably second guessing coming along or befriending Stiles in the first place. 

“ Okay, but why…Growly McGrowlington?” Derek hesitated before spitting out the horrid nickname. Stiles burst into a fit of giggles and bumped his shoulder against Derek’s.

“ Oh wow! Wish I could’ve recorded that! Your face, it was priceless!” 

“ Stiles!” Derek growled. “Explain!” 

Stiles instantly sobered and turned to point at Derek.

“ That! That’s why! Because you growl at me!” Stiles exclaimed indignantly. 

Stiles took a breath before butchering a falsetto voice.

“ Hello kind sir, how can I help you today?”

He then lowered his voice into a horrible impersonation of Derek.

“ Don’t talk to me! I just want my books!” he tried to growl it out but it just sounded more comical than intimidating. 

He then reverted back to his poor falsetto.

“ Oh no! Please don’t hurt me! I’m just-“

“ Why do you sound like a prepubescent girl?” Derek asked, cutting off his performance. 

“ Because I’m little red and you’re the big bad wolf in this situation,” he replied without missing a beat. 

Derek swept his eyes over Stiles and had to fight back a grin. Stiles just happened to be wearing his favorite red hoodie. 

“ Is that an almost smile I see?” Stiles had leaned forward a bit as they walked so he could get a better look at Derek. 

“ Come on, just a bit more and you’ll actually be smiling. See?” Stiles smiled big to demonstrate, successfully getting Derek to crack an amused grin. 

Stiles gave a satisfied wriggle before perking up when he saw the theater ahead.

He started to jog ahead but when Derek didn’t do the same, he turned and grabbed Derek’s wrist. 

“ Come on!” Stiles demanded, pulling Derek along with him. 

Stiles just laughed at the unamused scowl on Derek’s face. Derek could’ve easily pulled out of Stiles’ grip but he didn’t even think to do so. 

After the pair bought their tickets and made their way into the theater, Stiles pulled his phone out to check the time.

“ Alright, we’ve got about ten minutes till it starts. I’m gonna get some snackage. Want anything?” 

Derek just shook his head, earning him a cocked eyebrow from Stiles.

“Really? You’re not gonna change your mind halfway through and try to take some of mine? You _will_ lose a hand,” Stiles threatened. 

But it was like a puppy trying to growl. Too cute to scare anyone. Derek fought back another grin and just rolled his eyes.

“ Just grab your food Stiles. I’ll wait,” Derek ordered, a slight chuckle slipping past his lips against his will. 

Stiles nodded and made his way over to the concessions line, not bothering to hide the huge smile on his face. This was great. He was at the movies with Derek. Derek was smiling and laughing _because_ of Stiles. It made Stiles feel proud that he was able to bring Derek slightly out of his shell. 

After a short wait Stiles stepped up and smiled at the Hawaiian behind the counter.

“ Hey Danny boy!”

Danny grinned and nodded at Stiles.

“ Hey Stiles. Who’s your date?” 

Stiles balked for a second, giving a confused frown.

“ My what?” 

Danny cocked a skeptical eyebrow and gestured behind Stiles.

“ Tall, dark, and handsome?”

Stiles chuckled at that, finally understanding.

“ Oh! No. No date. That’s just Derek. A friend from work,” Stiles explained, though for some reason Danny still looked skeptical.

“ Uh-huh. If you say so. What can I get you?” 

Distracted by the promise of food, Stiles perked up and rattled off his order.

“ Large popcorn, large coke, and a box of the crunch bites  _ please _ .”

Danny shook his head as he put the selections into the register, chuckling in amusement at his friend.

“ Still putting chocolate in your popcorn Stiles?” he asked, placing a cup under the soda dispenser before turning around to fill a tub with popcorn, pausing to squirt some butter on halfway through just like Stiles liked. 

“ Of course,” Stiles said defensively. “It’s the only way to eat popcorn.” 

Danny continued to chuckle, reaching under the counter to grab Stiles’ precious chocolates.

“ That’ll be fifteen dollars.” 

Stiles whipped his wallet out and started counting out some bills, his face falling when he realized something.

“ Shit! I’m a buck short!” Stiles grumbled. 

_I shouldn’t have bought that coffee this morning…_ Stiles silently chastised. 

“ Sucks man,” Danny sympathized. “Guess you’re gonna have to go without chocolate this time.” 

Danny started to pull the box back across the counter but was abruptly stopped by Stiles’ hand.

“ Wait! Come on Danny. We’re friends. Let it slide this once. Please? For me? I’ll pay you back,” Stiles pleaded, putting on his award winning puppy dog face. 

The Hawaiian glared at his friend, before giving in with a sigh.

“ Fine. But it’s gonna cost you,” Danny said, leaning forward and tapping his finger against his cheek. 

Stiles grinned triumphantly before leaning in to place a loud, wet kiss to Danny’s cheek. 

“ Thanks Danny boy! You’re the best.” 

Danny just grinned, wiping at his wet cheek.

“ Yea, yea. Take your food and enjoy your movie with your non-date. I think you’re keeping him waiting. He looks mad.” 

Stiles chuckled and gathered his food into his arms.

“ That’s his normal expression. Pretty sure he came out of the womb scowling at the world!”

With that, Stiles turned and made his way back over to Derek.

“ You ready?” Stiles asked, popping a kernel into his mouth. 

Derek shrugged and fell into step beside Stiles as they made the way to their theater. They had a brief debate over where they should sit. Stiles wanted to sit in the very back up high, while Derek wanted to sit closer to the front. 

“ I invited you so it’s my pick and I am so not gonna get a crick in my neck because I had to tilt my head up to see what’s going on. Come on big guy, to the top we go.” 

Stiles took the steps two at time, trusting that Derek would follow him. Once they were settled, Stiles opened his box of chocolate and dumped them into the tub of popcorn before shaking it so they mixed in evenly.

“ Perfection,” Stiles moaned around a handful of his concoction, earning him a dubious expression from Derek.

“ So,” Derek broached. “Who was that?”

Stiles took a minute to finish chewing before answering.

“ Hmm? Oh, you mean Danny. A good friend. We’ve pretty much grown up together, that’s how it is with almost all my friends, but me and Danny didn’t really get close until high school. We were on the lacrosse team together. Though really all I did was warm the bench. I helped win one game though. Man that was awesome,” Stiles said with a sigh, remembering the night. 

“ Do you go around kissing all your friends then?” Derek wondered, making Stiles bark out a laugh.

“ Ha! They wish! No, but I was a dollar short so Danny let it slide in return for a kiss,” Stiles explained, popping another handful of buttery-chocolatey goodness into his mouth. 

“ I could’ve lent you a dollar,” Derek muttered to himself before Stiles started gently hitting his arm as the lights dimmed.

“ Ssh! The trailers are starting! Besides the snacks and the actual movie the trailers are the best part!” Stiles hissed, shifting around in his seat to get comfortable again. 

Derek quietly chuckled to himself, wondering how the hell Stiles was gonna stay still and quiet for two hours. 

Derek quickly found out that Stiles wasn’t able to do either and it didn’t surprise him in the slightest. He kept fidgeting and pointing excitedly at the screen and whispering things like, “That looks awesome!” “Who the hell would make that?” “Oh! That’s that movie Scott wants to see” “Erica’s gonna drag me to that…I just know it…” and for one particular trailer that held no interest for Derek, Stiles nudged him and said, “We need to go see that together!” 

Before Derek could really process what he was saying, a quiet sure slipped past his lips, earning him an excited grin from his new friend. 

Stiles commented on the next few trailers before Derek sent him a teasing glare.

“ Weren’t you the one who shushed me, Stiles?” 

Stiles’ mouth snapped shut with a click, a sheepish grin spreading across his face.

“ Sorry,” he whispered before offering up his popcorn in apology.

Derek just rolled his eyes and grabbed a handful, sharing a small smile so Stiles knew he wasn’t really annoyed. 

Stiles blinked in surprise. He was usually very stingy with his popcorn but if Derek kept smiling at him like that he could have all the freaking popcorn he wanted. 

~*~

It wasn’t until the movie actually started playing that Derek realized Stiles had never told him what they were seeing. Derek would’ve been irritated by that but it wasn’t like he had asked either. It wouldn’t have been Derek’s first pick but it was probably tolerable, and if it wasn’t it would be just as entertaining to watch Stiles watch the movie. Maybe more so. 

Like always Stiles couldn’t sit still, couldn’t stay quiet. He was constantly perking up and lurching forward in his seat, pointing at the screen with excitement, gasping and laughing at shocking and funny moments, glancing at Derek to gauge his reaction, knocking his knee against Derek’s to get his attention before whispering into his ear what he was thinking, sitting on the edge of his seat and shoveling popcorn into his mouth at the dramatic ending.

Derek enjoyed himself at first. He did. He started to feel less suspicious and actually let himself relax for once. But as the movie went on, Derek started to get more and more tense. The plot of the movie unfolded, a detective trying to solve a slew of murders and arson and ending with the arsonist going up in flames himself. The camera zoomed in on him slowly burning to death, the sound of agonizing screams echoing throughout the theater.

Derek wanted to bolt, but he restrained himself from doing so, telling himself that Stiles had no way of knowing that it was the last film Derek would ever want to see. Of course Stiles wanted to see it though. Stiles dreamed about being a ‘kick-ass detective’ for Christ’s sake. Derek remembered Stiles telling him so a few days ago, prompted by Derek buying a mystery novel. 

Once the credits started rolling, Derek followed Stiles out silently. Stiles made his way to the bathroom, leaving Derek to stand by the exit and try to keep it together; glaring Stiles’ friend away when he looked like he was going to come and talk to him. When Stiles made his way back to him, Derek felt a bit calmer but was still tense. 

As they left the theater, Stiles glanced at Derek questioningly.

“ Dude, you okay? Your back to being all scowly and quiet. Did you not like the movie?” Stiles asked with a frown. 

He had thought Derek had been having fun. 

Derek glanced at Stiles, forcing a reassuring grin and making his fists unclench.

“ No, I’m fine,” Derek replied tersely. 

Stiles stared at him curiously for another moment before shrugging his shoulders. It was the typical Derek behavior he was used to so why think anything of it? 

_ Maybe he’s just tired. It is getting kind of late. Yea that’s it.  _ Stiles convinced himself before jumping into a blow by blow account of the movie as if Derek hadn’t just sat through it as well. 

Derek nodded occasionally, not really hearing a word of what Stiles was saying. 

_ Just get back, pick a book, go home…Get back, pick a book, go home…back, book, home…  _ Derek repeated as a silent mantra as they walked. 

Another part of Derek silently chastised himself for reacting this way. It had happened so long ago. Yes, it was horrible, traumatizing, and life-shattering. But time was supposed to heal all wounds right? Life goes on, allows people to move on. Derek needed to move on. He just…couldn’t. Derek equated moving on with acceptance and he just couldn’t, he refused to accept what had happened. It shouldn’t have happened. 

“ And man that ending! I did not see that coming! Did you? I mean yea he was totally gonna get caught no matter what but having him burn to death?” 

That finally caught Derek’s attention, his fists clenching again as he looked sharply at Stiles. 

“ Totally unexpected,” Stiles finished with a look of awe on his face before plowing on. 

“Oh, and the effects! They were just so…urgh, I can’t even apply words. It just looked and sounded so _real_ , and I’m not talking about his screams cause that can just be chalked up to good acting. I mean how you could practically _hear_ the flames burning his skin; hear it melting off of his bones. Seeing it happen was one thing but hearing it just added another level to it. God, that’s gotta be a fucking tough w-“

Before Stiles could complete his sentence, something collided with the side of his face and pain exploded in his head, sending him sprawling on the sidewalk. 

Stiles was consumed with shock, trying to figure out what the hell had just happened. He used his arms to push himself up slowly, wincing at the pain shooting through his head, before turning over.

He glanced around him searchingly, trying to find someone or something to point an accusing finger at, before his eyes settled on Derek. Derek, who was looking at Stiles as if he were the lowest scum on earth and shaking with what Stiles could only assume, was anger. Then Stiles’ mind played catch up and was able to put two and two together.

“Dude did you just fucking _punch_ me!? What the hell is your problem?” Stiles demanded with a glare, though for some reason he wasn’t really angry. 

Shocked, confused, and worried? Yes. But anger, there was no anger to be felt. Stiles just wanted to know what he had done to deserve to be punched.

Derek didn’t dignify him with a response. Of course not, that’d be the _reasonable_ thing to do after all. No, Derek just glanced away for a moment before sending another withering look Stiles’ way. Then Derek stepped around Stiles and continued heading back towards his car.

Stiles continued to sit there feeling stunned, going over every little detail of the night in his head but nothing added up. Stiles had no clue how he had ended up upsetting Derek enough to elicit a punch out of him; a punch that was probably going to result in a massive shiner if the throbbing in his temple gave any indication. 

Stiles would have sat there all night trying to figure out what had gone wrong but the only person who could give him any answers apparently didn’t want to do anything with him now. So with a heavy sigh, Stiles pushed himself off of the ground and trudged dejectedly back to his jeep. 

  
  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter will be up on July 31st. See you then!
> 
> Hope everyone is enjoying so far! 
> 
> Come say hi and hang out: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/1gurgi1


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Teen Wolf belongs to MTV and Jeff Davis

A _thump_ resounded through the room as Stiles threw a tennis ball up at his ceiling and then caught it when it came back down. Stiles had been doing this for at least an hour every day that week, trying to distract himself from thinking about a certain jerk that goes around punching people for no good reason and then proceeds to not show their face in a certain bookstore. 

So naturally, that’s all Stiles could think about and the more he thought about it, the angrier he got. The angrier he got, the harder he threw the ball. The harder he threw the ball, the harder it got to catch the damn thing. He had broken his bedside lamp three times that week and his dad threatened to take away the jeeps keys if he broke another one. 

So with a heavy sigh, Stiles caught the ball and dropped it over the side of his bed. It bounced a few times before rolling to a stop somewhere in the room. With a frustrated groan, Stiles rolled onto his front and buried his head in his pillow. 

Stiles didn’t know why he was so angry. No, that’s wrong. He knew full well why he was angry. What Stiles didn’t understand was why he was so angry  _ now _ . He should’ve been angry and pissed right after Derek had gone and punched him. He should’ve hopped up and punched Derek back, though now that he thought about it that probably would’ve hurt his fist more than Derek’s face. Regardless, that would’ve been a normal, rational reaction to being punched out of nowhere. But since when was Stiles ever normal or rational?

No, instead Stiles drove home, still unsure of what had happened, and crazily enough he was worried about  _ Derek _ . The jerk that had just punched him in the face… Then Stiles laid in his dark room, wondering if Derek, the guy that had just punched him in the face for no reason, was alright before falling into a restless sleep. Then the next morning Stiles woke up and hurried to work even though he had that day off, hoping that Derek would show up and explain or apologize for punching Stiles in the face!

Derek didn’t show though and Stiles just chalked it up to him being busy or being embarrassed or scared to show his face to Stiles because he had fucking punched him for no reason! Stiles decided to give the guy a piece of his mind when he decided to finally come back to the bookstore, because he had to come back right? Derek was addicted to books. He couldn’t _not_ buy any for long periods of time. 

But Derek didn’t make an appearance in the bookstore the rest of the week, leaving Stiles to finally feel the anger that should’ve surfaced right after the jerk’s fist connected with his innocent cheek.

Well fine. If Derek wanted to disappear like a douche then as far as Stiles was concerned Derek never existed. Derek who? Ignore the problem till it goes away was Stiles’ main plan of action. Don’t think about Derek long enough that eventually he wouldn't need to _try_ to not think of him. Stiles would forget about Derek entirely. 

Thus far his plan was working. At least that’s what Stiles told himself. In reality every waking moment, and a few sleeping ones too, was devoted to thoughts of Derek. And that made Stiles even angrier because dammit he was supposed to _not_ be thinking about him! Stiles should hate him! Stiles wasn’t used to being mad at someone for an extended period of time. It was exhausting! 

For some reason Stiles hadn’t said a word about what had happened to anyone. Not Scott. Not even his dad, who had demanded an explanation as soon as he saw the whisper of a bruise that had formed on Stiles’ face. And for some reason Stiles covered for Derek, a lie about tripping instantly falling from his lips. Besides his dad threatening to take away his keys? That was the only real conversation they had had all week. 

And besides a few vague texts, Stiles hadn’t really talked to any of his friends either. Normally Stiles would’ve turned to his friends to help keep his mind off of things, they’d be more than happy to do it too, but something had him holding back; locking himself in his room every evening to seethe in anger.

A brief knock against his bedroom door grabbed Stiles’ attention.

“ For the millionth time, I’m fine dad!” Stiles answered. 

“ Persistent old man…” he grumbled under his breath. 

He was met with silence so Stiles figured that his dad had gone back downstairs. Stiles started to roll over, thinking that a nap sounded good, but then his bedroom door suddenly came flying open. 

Stiles jumped up in surprise and then groaned in frustration when Lydia and Erica came sauntering into his room. Erica was holding a slightly bent bobby pin in her hand and smiling smugly at Stiles.

“ You really think simply locking your door could keep us out?” she asked as she threw the bobby pin into the wastebasket. 

Stiles glared at the blonde.

“ I wasn’t trying to keep anyone out…” Stiles denied feebly. 

The girls shared a skeptical look, giving Stiles an ominous feeling. 

“ If you weren’t trying to keep anyone out then explain why you haven’t talked to anyone all week Stiles? Why did your dad feel the need to call Scott because he was worried about you? Something’s wrong. Everyone knows it. Might as well tell us. You know we’ll drag it out of you eventually.” 

Lydia relayed all of this with a harsh edge in her voice but she looked completely disinterested, simply looking at her nails with a bored expression before giving Stiles a pointed look. Erica nodded in silent agreement and cocked a questioning eyebrow at Stiles. 

Stiles just shrugged as he pushed himself off of his bed. 

“ I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he answered as he started fumbling with things on his desk. 

It was a nervous habit of his. He knew it. They knew it. Everyone knew it. Stiles wasn’t fooling anybody. Still, Stiles turned to face them with what he hoped was an innocent grin. 

The girls appraised him skeptically before glancing at each other, communicating silently. The next thing Stiles knew he had two surprisingly strong hands wrapped around his arms and he was being dragged out of his room and down the hall.

“Hey! What the hell?” he demanded as he simultaneously tried to get out of their grip and _not_ trip down the stairs. 

When they got to the bottom of the stairs, Scott was standing there looking like a kicked puppy. 

“ Stiles! Man, are you alright? I’ve barely heard from or seen you all week!” Scott chastised but there wasn’t any anger behind it. 

His tone and expression were laced with genuine concern. Stiles nearly sagged under the guilt. He hadn’t meant to worry his friends or his dad. Regardless, his friends were going a little overboard. 

Stiles glared at Erica and Lydia in turn.

“ You can let go of me now you know? Your mission was a success, I’m out of my room.” 

He tried tugging his arms back again but their grips still held fast.

“ This is only phase one,” Lydia explained. 

Stiles gaped at her in confusion before sending a pleading look Scott’s way…Scott who was looking anywhere but at Stiles. Something was up. Something Stiles was sure he wanted no part of. 

“ Dad?” Stiles called, trying not to let panic into his voice. 

Lydia and Erica shared a laugh. It sounded sinister to Stiles’ ears. A moment later the sheriff stepped out of the dining room. He crossed his arms and gave Stiles a stern look. 

“ Oh, so that’s what my son looks like.”

“ Oh come on,” Stiles exclaimed as he rolled his eyes exasperatedly at that.

“It’s barely been a week and I was in my _room_. I’m away at school for _months_ Dad. You guys are acting like I ran away or something.” 

Scott finally looked back to Stiles with a sheepish grin.

“ Yea but dude, even when we’re all away at school you’ll send everyone texts on the hour letting us know what you’re up to so even though we’re apart it’s like you’re still there. So not seeing or hearing from you all week was like a major red flag. We tell each other everything Stiles. Why won’t you tell me what’s wrong?” Scott asked, his kicked puppy look back in place. 

Stiles was torn between feeling guilty and irritated. Yes him being antisocial could possibly be considered abnormal but they were seriously overreacting. 

“ Oh my god! Guys, I am fine! I promise. Can we stop with the intervention now? It’s unnecessary.” 

Erica scoffed and rolled her eyes.

“You were totally for an intervention that one ni-“she stopped mid sentence as something dawned on her, her eyes zeroing in on Stiles. “Wait, is _that_ what this is about?” 

Stiles stared back at her levelly; trying to hide the panic going on inside and ignoring Lydia and Scott’s confused looks.

“ I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Stiles said slowly. “Can’t a guy want some alone time? Is that so uncalled for?” he demanded, trying yet again to unsuccessfully pull his arms free.

Lydia switched out her confused expression for a stern glare aimed at Stiles.

“ A guy? Yes. You? No. Seeing as how if you so much as have an irregular bowel movement you broadcast it to our entire group Stiles. So forgive us for worrying about you after you holed yourself up in your bedroom,  _ alone _ , for a week.”

Despite Lydia not once raising her voice, Stiles felt like he had just been swatted with a newspaper. He also felt a tinge of fear cause if Lydia so pleased she could murder him in a most unpleasant manner, not leave any evidence, and completely get away with it. It was not wise to upset Lydia Martin. 

Well, Stiles already had one foot in the grave. Might as well jump all the way in. 

“ Dammit Lydia! Nothing’s wrong! How many times do I have to say it until you understand?”

Stiles turned to his father with a pleading look.

“ Dad. Sorry for worrying you but honestly, I’m fine. Tell them to let me go.”

Before the sheriff could respond, the girls tightened their grip and Erica simply said, “Nuh-uh, you’re coming with us.” 

“ Sorry son, my hands are tied here.” 

The sheriff just shrugged at his son, not looking guilty or apologetic in the least as Stiles’ friends started to drag him down the hall and towards the front door.

“ Wh-Really dad? You’re going to let them take me against my will? This could be considered kidnapping dammit!” Stiles yelled as he struggled futilely.

The girls rolled their eyes at his behavior as Scott trailed after them. At least he had the decency to look somewhat ashamed. His father just waved lazily at them.

“ You’re not a kid, son. They’re only doing this because they care. If you stay out overnight, text or give me a call.”

It was aimed at Stiles but his friends all chimed back with, “Will do Papa Stilinski!” as Stiles grumbled, “Traitor…” under his breath. 

Once they were out of his house, Stiles recognized Allison’s car in the driveway. 

_Un-freakin-believable_ he thought. _They’ve even got a getaway car._

Scott took his usual place in the passenger seat while Stiles got sandwiched between the girls in the back. Who were still holding tightly onto his arms…

“ Seriously? You got what you wanted, you can let go now. We’re in a moving vehicle, what do you think I’m gonna do? Tuck and roll onto the street?” 

Stiles gave another hard tug on his arms and _finally_ he was free.

Scott turned and gave Stiles an apologetic grin.

“ Sorry dude. It was the girls’ idea.”

“ Doesn’t mean you had to go along with it…” Stiles mumbled as he slouched in his seat. 

Allison reached back and squeezed his knee reassuringly, smiling softly at him in the rearview mirror. 

“ You know, you brought this on yourself Stiles. We wouldn’t have had to resort to this if you had just talked to us in the first place,” she reminded him gently, her eyes going back to the road. 

He recognized the route as the one to Lydia’s.

“ Hate to break it to you all, but you’re overreacting. Nothing’s wrong. This is completely unnecessary,” he told them for what felt like the millionth time as he crossed his arms.

“ Something happened with ‘hot work guy’ didn’t it? Derek’s his name, right?” Erica asked suddenly. 

Stiles was so shocked to hear Derek’s name casually slip from Erica’s mouth that he probably looked like he had been slapped.

The curiosity permeating in the car could’ve been cut with a knife as Stiles tried to formulate a response to the unexpected question. 

“ I-wha-how- _ Isaac _ !” Stiles finally managed to growl out. 

Everyone in the car shook with silent laughter while Stiles formulated a way to murder Isaac.  _ To death _ . Erica nudged her shoulder against his and grinned at him, which was met with a withering glare. 

“ Now, now. Don’t blame Isaac too much. He was worried. Besides, me and Lyds are pretty relentless when we want to know something. Especially when that something is the name of the guy you’re crushing so hard on.”

“ Not. A. Crush!” Stiles bit out through clenched teeth, Derek being the last thing he wanted to talk about. 

Not like his friends would take that into consideration though.

“ Sure, sure,” Lydia placated. 

Stiles didn’t miss the skeptical look she shared with Erica though. 

The rest of the ride to Lydia’s was made in silence. Stiles foolishly hoped they had finally picked up on his ‘ _don’t-wanna-talk-about-it’_ vibe and would drop it. No such luck. 

They pulled into Lydia’s driveway and Stiles was dragged out of the car and into her living room where all of their friends were waiting. 

“ What? Would my dad not let you use the interrogation room?” Stiles drawled sarcastically as he wrenched himself out of Erica’s grasp and fell onto an open space on the couch.

“ Be serious Stiles,” Lydia ordered with a disapproving click of her tongue. 

“ Can I leave yet?” Jackson asked with a bored expression from the back of the room. 

“ Hush Jackson!” Lydia snapped. 

And surprisingly he did, though the blond still didn’t look thrilled to be there. For once Jackson and Stiles had something in common.

“ I’m with Jackson,” Stiles piped in, “you’ve made your point. Let’s all go catch a movie. Or we could go bowling. Whatever. The kidnapping and questioning thing is totally unnecessary.” 

He went to get up but was pushed right back down by Erica. 

“ Nice try Batman,” she drawled at the same time that Jackson threw him a glare, “Don’t agree with me, Stilinski. Gives me the creeps.” 

Stiles made a face at him in reply before turning his attention back to Erica. She shared a saccharine smile as she sat next to him, throwing her arm over his shoulders. 

“ Alright, now just tell us what’s wrong and we can put all of this behind us,” Erica stated, earning agreeing nods from everyone and a bored eye roll from Jackson. 

Stiles glowered in Scott’s direction where he was curled up in an armchair with Allison. This may have been the girl’s idea, but at least Scott had the decency to look guilty about it so Stiles was happy to place the blame on his best friend. 

“ Well we’re just gonna have to skip to the latter because, like I’ve said a hundred times, nothing is wrong,” Stiles shot back. 

Erica raised her eyebrow at him and swatted him on the back of the head.

“ Yea I’m gonna call bull seeing as how your eyes nearly bugged out of your head when I mentioned Derek. There’s a story to be told. So either you tell us it yourself or I’ll coax whatever Isaac knows out of him.” 

Erica winked over at the curly headed blond. Stiles threw an accusing glare his way and Isaac just shrugged, not looking apologetic in the least. 

“ Yea, tell us about your crush Stiles. We’ll help in any way we can,” Allison chimed in from across the room with a supportive smile. 

Scott beamed proudly at her and nodded encouragingly at Stiles before he nuzzled his face into Allison’s thick hair. 

“ Obsession you mean? That’s all Stilinski knows how to do. Obsess over people he can’t have,” Jackson supplied as he threw an arm around Lydia’s waist and pulled her in close. 

“ Really Jackson? You’re not helping!” Lydia scolded.

“ Which is why I told you not to bring me…” he trailed off as Lydia slid out of his embrace and went to sit on the other side of Stiles, waiting for him to start talking. 

“ Okay first of all, it’s not a crush. Second of all, there’s no story. He’s just a guy that comes to the bookstore a lot. We talked a bit. That’s it.”

“ The same guy that had you blushing and hiding behind your menu at the diner?” Scott asked.

Stiles flushed and threw a withering look at his best friend.

“ _ Thank you for the unnecessary commentary Scott _ !” Stiles hissed. 

“ Wait! He was there? Describe him! Maybe I saw him,” Lydia demanded as she hit Stiles’ shoulder at the same time that Isaac leaned down to whisper not so quietly, “It’s totally a crush,” into Erica’s ear.

Erica giggled in agreement.

“ IT’S NOT A CRUSH DAMMIT!” Stiles yelled as Danny entered the living room, freezing at the sudden explosion from Stiles.

“ Uh…Sorry I’m late. Got held up at work. Am I missing something?” Danny asked with a nervous chuckle as he glanced around the room.

“ Stiles has a crush,” answered Lydia.

“ But he doesn’t wanna talk about it,” Allison continued.

“ Or even admit that it is indeed a crush,” Erica finished.

“ So why don’t we respect his wishes and drop it? What do you say Danny, wanna go do something?” Jackson asked his best friend as a last ditch attempt at getting out of there. 

Naturally, everyone ignored him. 

“ You mean your date from the other night?” Danny asked Stiles innocently as he took a seat in an unoccupied arm chair. “He was hot but a little moody.”

_No kidding…_ Stiles thought. 

“ You had a date!?” Lydia nearly screeched while Scott took on a confused kicked puppy expression. 

“ Dude, why didn’t you tell me?”

Meanwhile, Erica was frozen in scandalized silence. He snapped his fingers in front of her face, eliciting no reaction. Not even so much as a blink. 

“ Uh guys, I think we broke Erica,” Stiles stated nervously. 

Knowing full well she hated it, Stiles poked her on the cheek. That snapped her out of her shocked state and she gave Stiles a ferocious glare.

“ Stilinski!” she growled. 

“ Never mind, she’s fully functional!” Stiles amended as he quickly hopped off of the couch and out of her reach, sliding behind Scott and Allison’s arm chair.

“ Whoa! Calm down Catwoman. Was just making sure you were okay. You speechless is a reason to worry,” Stiles tried to placate her but then he realized she looked ecstatic instead of angry. 

“ You had a date?” she asked with glee. “Oh this is even better than I thought! How’d it go? When are you gonna see him again? When do we get to meet him?” she demanded, looking at him expectantly. 

Everyone in the room, minus Jackson, seemed to lean forward, eager to hear the answer to Erica’s questions. Stiles gave a frustrated sigh, bracing his elbows against the back of the chair and cradling his head in his hands. 

“ Have you guys seriously not heard a word I said? There is no crush. There was no date. So there will be no seeing him again or you guys meeting him. How else do I have to say it to get you to understand?”

How fast Erica’s face fell when she heard that would almost be considered comical if it weren’t for Stiles’ profound irritation. There were a few moments of silence before Scott decided to break it.

“ Isaac’s met him…” he murmured, the pout evident in his voice. 

Stiles chose to act like he hadn’t heard him.

“ Yea,” Isaac chimed in, “and the last time I saw you two together things seemed pretty normal. You two are friends at least right? Why wouldn’t you see him again? Why wouldn’t everyone else meet him?” he asked with a concerned expression. 

“ Well, turns out we aren’t friends. That’s a pretty simple conclusion Isaac,” Stiles bit back. 

“ Yea but you’d still see him at work Stiles,” the curly headed blond pushed. “He needs books almost as much as Lydia needs her chai lattes.” 

That earned him an indignant look from Lydia and an agreeing nod from Jackson. 

“ Well apparently he can buy books elsewhere because he hasn’t been into the shop since we went to the movies together!” Stiles retorted vehemently. 

“ Wait, I’m confused,” Danny said. “Were you on a date or not?”

“ Oh it was totally a date,” Lydia answered before Stiles could. “Stiles just obviously did something to mess it up. Which explains why he hasn’t seen the guy since. Which also explains why Stiles had secluded himself to his room ever since.”

And with that, Stiles’ composure snapped like a brittle twig.

“ Thanks for the vote of confidence Lydia! No, it wasn’t a fucking date! We just ended up going to the movies together. Friends do that! Things were fine but for some un-fucking-known reason to me, he fucking punched me as we were walking back to our cars! Whatever the problem is, it’s his fault. Not mine! You happy? Is that what you all wanted to hear? It could’ve maybe, just possibly been close to being on its way to developing into something that just might possibly resemble a crush but being punched in the face screams ‘not interested’ pretty loud and fucking clear to me! Which is why I didn’t want to mention any of this to any of you because I knew you’d make a bigger deal out of it than it really is when all I want to do is forget all about the jerk! Can I do that now? Please?” 

Stiles’ voice broke slightly when he finished his rant, panting to catch his breath. 

A tense silence filled the room, everyone suddenly feeling guilty and unsure of what to say. 

“ So why’d he punch you Stilinksi? Try to kiss him with your ugly mug?” Jackson asked with a smirk. 

He was, in his own way, trying to relieve the tension that had filled the room. 

“ _ Jackson _ !” Lydia chastised in a whisper. 

She opened her mouth to say more but was interrupted by the laughter bubbling out of Stiles.

“ Oh god Jackson. If only that were the case. At least I’d know why the fucker punched me. Nope, I’m just left wondering why and for some damn reason I can’t even begin to fathom I kinda miss his stupid face when I should be hating him...” he trailed off, stepping back against the wall and sliding to the floor. 

“ Maybe because you care about him, even if you don’t want to…” Allison supplied softly as she got up to slide down next to Stiles, throwing a comforting arm around him.

Stiles squeezed his eyes shut as he leaned into her, not bothering to deny it this time. What was the point? They wouldn’t believe him anyways. 

Silence settled over the room once again until Erica hopped up off of the couch.

“ Why are we all so calm? This jerk punched Stiles and we’re all okay with that? No. He’s in for a world of hurt, even if it’s only me doing the hurting,” she huffed angrily as she sauntered into the kitchen. 

“ Where do you keep your knives Lyds?” she called a few seconds later.

“ No Erica!” they all yelled back simultaneously. 

More laughter erupted from Stiles.

“ God, I love you guys. You may overreact and annoy the hell out of me sometimes, but I really love you guys.”

“ Love you too buddy,” Scott said as he leaned over the arm of the chair to clap a hand over Stiles’ shoulder as everyone else (even Jackson, though he did so grudgingly) murmured the same thing. 

“ Alright, enough of the emotional heavy stuff. What do you guys think of ordering pizza and popping in some movies? We can make a sleepover out of it. It’s been awhile since we’ve done that,” Lydia offered as she pushed herself off of the couch and pulled her cell phone out. 

“ God no…” Jackson murmured as he banged his head against the wall. 

“ Sounds great Lyds,” Stiles said. “But I’m gonna have to bail on the sleepover. I’ve got work in the morning.” 

And with that, everything went back to normal. Lydia ordered enough pizza to feed an army. Stiles and Erica bickered about what movies to watch. Scott and Allison were nauseatingly sweet. Isaac and Danny brought down pillows and blankets for everyone that would be staying. Jackson acted like he wanted to be anywhere else but there but everyone knew he loved having a place that he belonged. 

It was as if the whole kidnapping and interrogation had never happened. Not a single mention of why it had happened either. Though everyone was a tad more touchy feely than usual. Allison kissed his cheek, Erica and Lydia pulled him into comforting hugs, Scott threw his arm around him as they watched the movies, and whenever someone walked by they would give Stiles a comforting touch to let him know they were there. God, he loved his friends. 

Stiles stayed later than he had originally intended, but he was glad he did. He felt a million times better after talking and spending time with his friends.

But as soon as he was back at home and settled in his bed, once again he was plagued by thoughts of Derek’s tall, dark and brooding self. 

  
  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter will be up on August 7th. See you then!
> 
> Come say hi and hang out:
> 
> https://www.tumblr.com/blog/1gurgi1


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Teen Wolf belongs to MTV and Jeff Davis

After a restless night of tossing and turning and lack of sleep, Stiles finally gave in and got out of bed. At five in the morning…four hours before his shift even started. Stiles considered it an illegal time to be up and out of bed but he couldn’t stand just laying there anymore and thinking about…yea.

So he started buzzing around his room, gathering up his dirty laundry, and cleaning what little mess there was. After he could see his floor, Stiles sat down and started doing something he’d never actually taken the time to do properly before: sorting his laundry into colors, darks, and whites. 

Lydia would probably beam with pride; she was always telling him how undomesticated he was. 

After throwing a load of colors into the wash, Stiles made his way down the hall to take a shower. 

He took as much time as possible, trying to just relax under the soothing spray but deciding he should probably leave hot water for his dad; Stiles got out and dried off before throwing on a pair of sweats. 

Stiles was throwing his third load into the washer when his dad came down the hall and stared at him incredulously.

“ I called your friends to get you back to normal, son. Not to turn you into a maid,” the Sheriff quipped.

“ Haha. Very funny dad. You act like you’ve never seen me do laundry before,” Stiles shot back as he started pulling clothes out of the dryer and folding them to be put away. 

“ Well that’s because I haven’t. Not properly at least. And why are you even awake this early?” his father asked, realizing the time.

“ Work,” Stiles answered simply, grinning when he pulled his favorite hoodie out of the dryer. 

“ Your shift doesn’t start till nine…did you just put that jacket on a hanger? Seriously Stiles, what did your friends say to you?” 

“ Everything’s okay dad. I promise. I overreacted over something that was really no big deal. That’s it,” Stiles answered as he shut and started the dryer with a new load.

The sheriff raised a skeptical eyebrow at his son.

“ You know I could just force it out of your right?”

Stiles outright laughed at the notion.

“ You’re not nearly as intimidating as Lydia and Erica, you don’t possess the innocent sincerity of Allison and Isaac, and no one can pull puppy dog eyes like Scott,” Stiles countered.

“ I’m the sheriff,” he retorted indignantly.

“ Yea and as the sheriff’s son, I’m completely immune to your interrogation tactics. I’m gonna go start breakfast. Any preferences?” Stiles asked.

Sighing in defeat, John answered with, “Bacon and eggs.” 

Stiles nodded in agreement. 

“ Egg whites and vegetarian bacon. Sounds good.”

“ You’re cruel,” the sheriff stated, grimacing in distaste.

“ I know. It keeps me up at night,” Stiles threw over his shoulder as he turned and headed downstairs to start breakfast. 

When the sheriff entered the dining room, freshly showered and smelling faintly of aftershave, Stiles was placing their breakfast on the table.

John nearly sagged in relief when he saw that it was sunny side up eggs and regular bacon in all its glory.

“ Letting up on the strict diet rules, son?” he asked hopefully as he sat down and dug in, nearly moaning in pleasure.

Stiles shrugged as he sat down and started to eat as well.

“ I figure once in a blue moon won’t kill you but,” Stiles added, stabbing his fork in his father’s direction, “that doesn’t mean you’re off the hook. I may not be able to control your diet when I’m at school, but I will as much as I can when I am home.” 

Choosing to ignore the eye roll from his dad, Stiles finished his breakfast and downed his milk before dumping the dishes into the sink. 

“ I’m gonna throw my last load of laundry in the wash and then head to work. Love you dad,” Stiles clapped his father on the shoulder before heading upstairs to get ready for work. 

Keeping busy and falling back into the usual routine of bantering with his dad had surprisingly helped Stiles stay distracted. He left the house in a good mood and hummed cheerfully on his drive to work. So the note waiting for him from his boss when he got to work was like a slap to the face.

_ Stiles, _

_ An order for a Mr. Derek Hale came in this morning. Remember to call and notify the customer. _

Stiles sagged into the chair behind the counter, rereading the note over and over as if there was some hidden message to decipher. Finally, accepting that there was nothing more to gain from the simple note, Stiles started to debate on whether he should call or not. 

_Stupid,_ he thought, _you can’t_ not _call. It’s your job._

Stiles debated for a moment longer before pulling up Derek’s order on the store's computer and dialing the number provided. Stiles nervously tapped his fingers over the counter until the call connected.

“ Hello?”

Stiles froze. It was a _girl’s_ voice. _The_ girl. From the diner. Stiles hung up. And then he mentally berated himself for being a coward.

_ So what if that girl answers the phone. She can tell the jerk about his stupid books. _

Stiles resolved himself and dialed the number again, determined to talk this time.

“ Hello?” 

And despite his mental pep talk, Stiles hung up. Again. 

_ Okay,  _ he thought glumly,  _ clearly I have a problem. _

So true to Stiles’ fashion, he just ignored the fact that there was a box in the back that he was supposed to be calling a customer about. 

Thankfully the store was unnaturally busy all day so ignoring the problem was relatively easy. In fact, it was so easy that by the time Stiles was ready to clock out, it had completely slipped his mind until the neon sticky note caught his eye when he grabbed his bag. 

With a heavy sigh, Stiles made his way to the back room, slowly easing the door open and stepping inside. 

There, as if waiting for him, sat the box holding Derek’s order. He roughly ran his fingers through his unruly hair before kneeling in front of it. And then for some reason, Stiles carefully reached out to poke it, as if it were a feral animal ready to lash out and attack. 

There was a beat of silence and then Stiles hung his head as stupidity washed over him. 

_ Really Stiles? What was the point of that? It’s a box. Just a stupid box. I can just deal with it next time. He’s waited this long. He can wait a few more days. _

With that decided, Stiles grabbed his stuff and locked up before hopping into his jeep to head home…with Derek’s order sitting in his passenger seat…

_Sure I can call about it next time but I couldn’t just leave it there,_ Stiles rationalized. _If I left it there my boss would know that I hadn’t done what I was told. That’s the only reason. I’ll just bring it with me the next time I work and call as soon as I get in. And actually_ talk _this time._

Stiles seriously questioned how he got himself into situations like these the rest of the ride home.

~*~

The next morning Stiles was sitting cross legged on his bed, staring accusingly at the stupid box of books. He had been doing so for at least twenty minutes, wondering why he had brought the damn thing inside. 

After five more minutes of blank staring, Stiles called Erica and put her on speaker.

“ Permission to speak,” the blonde drawled tiredly when she answered the phone, earning an amused head shake from Stiles.

“ I’m being intimidated by a box,” he told her without preamble. 

There was a beat of silence. Then, “What’s in the box? Naughty toys? Kinky Stiles, kinky.” 

Stiles pinched the bridge of his nose, wondering why he was even surprised by Erica’s antics anymore.

“ Erica, please can you take this just a little seriously? This is about Der…the thing I didn’t want to talk about before,” Stiles explained.

Another beat of silence.

“ Oh. Yeah of course. Just give me a second, okay?”

There was a bit of shuffling and the sound of a door shutting before Erica was back.

“ Sorry. I stayed over at Boyd’s last night. Didn’t want to wake him up. Now tell me what’s going on.” 

Momentarily distracted, Stiles gasped in feigned astonishment.

“ You stayed over at Boyd’s? Scandalous Erica, scandalous,” he mimicked. 

“ Oh shut up!” Erica snapped, though Stiles would say she sounded more embarrassed than angry. 

“ Okay, okay,” Stiles managed between laughs. “You know I’m happy for you Erica.”

“ You better be Stilinski cause I’m pretty damn happy. Now spill,” Erica ordered, but she softened her voice so her friend knew that she was ready and willing to listen. 

So Stiles quickly told her everything, bringing her up to speed as to why he was in the middle of a stare down with a box. 

“ Uh huh,” Erica finally said after a long stretch of silence. Then, “Why don’t you just take it over to him?” 

Stiles had been prepared for anything she could’ve possibly said. Or, so he had thought.

“ Take it over-Are you out of your mind!?” Stiles nearly screeched, thinking the girl’s brain was still riddled with sleep.

“ Possibly, but that doesn’t mean you have to make my suggestion sound absurd. Just take it over to him Stiles,” she encouraged.

“ And get punched in the face again? No thank you!” Stiles hissed. 

Erica clicked her tongue in admonishment.

“ He’s not gonna punch you,” she reassured.

“ Oh? So you’re psychic now?” Stiles asked skeptically. 

“ I would like to think of myself as so, yes,” she stated simply. 

Stiles gave an exasperated sigh and shook his head. Erica was just too much to handle sometimes. 

“ Look, it’s a moot point anyways. I don’t even know where the guy lives. I’ll just call tomorrow at work like I was supposed to do yesterday.” 

“ Don’t insult me Stiles,” Erica chastised. “There are plenty of ways you could figure out his address. So once you know it, just go over there. What’s it called? Giving olives or something.” 

“ Extending an olive branch,” Stiles corrected. “Weren’t you the one who was ready to go stab him the other night?”

“ Oh I still wanna kick his ass for hurting you,” she explained, “but I know it's killing you not knowing what happened.  _ So _ , if you go over there like I keep telling you to, you can talk and get your answers.” 

Stiles opened his mouth to retort but before he could, he was abruptly cut off by Erica.

“Oh! Boyd’s waking up. Gotta go. _Go over there!_ Catch ya later Batman!”

With that, the call was disconnected, leaving Stiles to continue his stare down with the box. 

~*~ 

An hour later Stiles’ Jeep was idling in Derek’s driveway. 

He had spent about five minutes contemplating Erica’s suggestion before hopping over to his laptop to look up Derek’s address. After finding it, he spent another fifteen minutes debating on whether he was really going to go through with it. After getting dressed and doubling back at least twice, Stiles finally resolved to go over there. 

If it weren’t for Derek’s Camaro sitting in the driveway, Stiles would’ve thought he was in the wrong place. The house was in the middle of the Beacon Hills Preserve and the house itself looked like it had seen better days. Though parts of it looked almost brand new compared to others, it still needed a lot of work. 

_What am I even doing here…?_ Stiles questioned himself.

If just looking at the box and knowing it was Derek’s was intimidating, it was nothing compared to looking at the house and knowing Derek was somewhere inside. Any resolve Stiles had had quickly fractured.

_ Maybe…Maybe I’ll just leave the box on the porch with a note…Yea, that sounds good... _

With a silent curse, Stiles pulled a pen and a piece of paper out of the glove department. Stiles struggled with what to write before settling with a simple:

**_Sorry -Stiles_ **

He still wasn’t sure what he was supposed to be sorry about, if he even had anything to be sorry about, but hey, it was a start. He was hoping that it would at least get Derek to talk to him again and explain what had happened because Erica was right. It _was_ killing him not knowing. 

Before Stiles could chicken out, he grabbed the box of books and slid out of his Jeep before making his way up to the porch. It was probably late for this, but Stiles was starting to feel like a creepy stalker all over again. The first time he had briefly _considered_ googling Derek. Now he had actually googled his address and was _at his house_!

Stiles was ready to drop the box and run but before he could, the front door swung open, freezing him in place. That creepy stalker feeling? Yea, add tenfold to it.

Standing in the doorway, gaping at him in confusion, was the woman from the diner. When Stiles had first seen her he had thought she was beautiful. Even now, wearing worn cutoffs and an oversized sweater with her hair in a messy bun and no makeup, she looked stunning. 

_No wonder she’s Derek’s girlfriend…They’re both flawless,_ Stiles thought. 

Realizing that he should probably explain why he was loitering on their front porch, Stiles started rambling.

“ Uh, hi! You’d probably like to know what I’m doing here…a complete stranger…on your porch. I promise I’m not a creeper. Or a stalker. Or a creepy stalker. I, uh, know Derek. Well, not really but kind of. The box is for him. Books. See I work-“

“ You’re Stiles aren’t you?”

Upon hearing his name, Stiles’ head snapped up to look at the woman. She had her arms crossed and was leaning against the door frame, wearing a smirk that eerily resembled Derek’s.

“ Uh yeah, how’d you know?”

She laughed softly and beckoned for him to come inside before turning to go back into the house. Stiles hesitated for only a second before following her inside and shutting the door behind him. 

“ Excuse the mess and everything. We’re kind of in the middle of renovating the place,” she explained to Stiles over her shoulder. 

The woman led Stiles to a dark, out of date, yet spacious kitchen, where she started a pot of coffee and then started pulling food out of the fridge. Once she had a skillet full of bacon on the stove, she glanced over to where Stiles was standing awkwardly with the box of books still in his hands. 

“ You can put that on the counter over there. Derek will find it. He’s like a bloodhound when it comes to books.”

Stiles grinned at the accurate comparison and did as he was told. He stayed standing for a bit longer before taking a seat at the small table.

“ So, you uh never answered my question,” he broached as he anxiously picked at his fingernails. 

The woman flipped the bacon over before turning to him with a warm smile on her face, helping Stiles relax some.

“Derek talks about you,” she stated simply, making Stiles sit up straighter. “Well, rants actually,” she continued. “And more like rant _ed_ seeing as how he hasn’t mentioned you in over a week,” she finished, nonplussed. 

Hearing that made Stiles slump back into his seat, a frown forming on his face. 

“ Oh,” he supplied simply, unsure of what else to say. 

He wasn’t even sure why he felt so disappointed. It was clear that Derek found him too annoying to tolerate. From the very beginning Derek's aversion to Stiles has been fairly obvious. Still, hearing it confirmed hurt more than he thought it would. 

A look of concern spread across the woman’s face and she crossed the room to give Stiles’ shoulder a reassuring squeeze.

“ Oh no. With Derek, ranting is good. I promise. If he hated you, he wouldn’t have said a word about you.” 

“ Yea…” Stiles nodded and smiled at her gratefully, but he didn’t really believe her. 

“ Hey, how about some coffee?” she asked him kindly, before whisking over to the pot and pulling down two mugs. 

“ Sure.” 

Stiles never said no to coffee.

“ I’m Laura by the way,” she said as she put a mug of coffee in front of him, along with some sugar and creamer. 

Stiles adjusted his coffee to his liking as Laura went back to the stove to continue cooking. 

“ So,” Laura broached as she started to crack some eggs into a bowl, “what did Derek do?” 

Stiles had been cautiously sipping at his coffee so as not to burn himself, but that question made him jerk his head up in surprise. In response, she quirked an eyebrow at him. A habit Stiles figured she had picked up from Derek. 

“Give me some credit, Stiles. I _know_ Derek. He rants about you for weeks and then just stops out of nowhere? For no reason? No, Derek did something. I’d like to know what so I can yell at him for it. Now spill,” she ordered as she playfully pointed a whisk at him. 

Stiles couldn’t fight back a grin at that. She sounded just like Erica and Lydia. 

“ Well, I mean he punched me but I think that’s more to do with something I did. Maybe? I have no idea what that something is though. And no offense, but why do you care? I mean, I know you’re his girlfriend and all but if he doesn’t wanna be around me anymore then he shouldn’t have to be.” 

Laura had been sipping at her coffee as she listened to Stiles. Her eyes bugged and she started choking on her coffee much to Stiles’ surprise. He hopped out of his seat, unsure of what to do.

“ Are you okay!?” 

“ Girlfriend!?” she shot back once she was able to breathe again. “What the hell put that absurd thought in your head!?” she demanded as she snatched at a dish towel to wipe up the coffee she had spilled. 

Stiles was…confused to say the least. 

“Wait, so you’re _not_ his girlfriend?” 

“Definitely not!” Laura scoffed. “I’m his _sister_.” 

“ Oh. His sister. Huh…Explains why you two look and act so similar. Though I prefer your lack of grumpiness in all honesty. Derek is all…scowls and death glares. Whereas you’re all smiles and niceness. And I’m rambling…” Stiles started to scratch at his neck nervously as the awkwardness settled over him. He glanced up and gave Laura an apologetic smile. 

Laura still looked a little disgruntled but then her face softened into an amused smile and she shook her head as she laughed, turning back to the stove to continue cooking.

“ God, what is it with this town? The first time we went to the diner to get coffee they thought we were newlyweds. So I guess your assumption isn’t totally absurd. But in exchange for almost making me throw up, you can start buttering some toast.” 

Stiles chuckled softly before grabbing a loaf of bread and heading over to the toaster. He really liked Laura. Though it was a little off putting how similar she was to Erica and Lydia. But that was also what made him feel so comfortable around her. 

“ So, uh, renovating?” Stiles asked as he started to butter the toast that had just popped. 

He had fished around for a neutral topic of conversation so it surprised him when Laura froze for a second. 

“Yea…” she finally sighed. “I thought it’d be a nice change after coming back here, ya know? I thought it’d be easier if we were home but it didn’t _look_ like home. Somehow I got that to make sense to Derek and he agreed but…It’s so much harder than I thought it would be. To go through things that made it through the fire, throwing things away, meetings with contractors-“

Stiles had been listening. Really he had. But only one word managed to stick out.

“ Wait, fire?” Stiles demanded and then winced when he realized how invasive that sounded. “Sorry, I just-“ 

Laura shook her head and sighed.

“ It’s alright Stiles. Derek is probably gonna be pissed that I told you but he’ll get over it. Long story short, our parents died in a fire nine years ago. It was ruled an accident. Gas leak. Dad had gone to cook breakfast. Turned a burner on and… that’s all it took. Derek was sixteen, I was nineteen. Cora, our little sister, she was only eleven…I’m not sure what would’ve happened to us if our Uncle Peter hadn’t taken us in….”

Laura trailed off with a sigh, a far off look entering her eyes as she relived the painful memories. Meanwhile, Stiles was mentally cursing himself to the deepest pit of hell. 

_ No wonder he punched you, you idiot! _

“ Stiles? Are you okay? You look pale,” Laura observed with a concerned look on her face. 

“ Yea, sorry. I just…pretty sure I know why Derek punched me now. And damn if I didn’t deserve it...” 

Laura looked at him curiously before she started to dish the scrambled eggs, bacon, and toast onto the two plates she had taken out.

“ Come on,” she said with a nod of her head. “You can tell me about it as we eat.” 

She picked up the two plates and led Stiles into the living room. 

“ This is the only room in the house that’s actually completely renovated,” Laura explained as she took a seat on the couch and set the plates down on the coffee table. “I like to spend as much time in here as possible.” 

Stiles nodded as he sat next to her. He was about to start eating before a thought nagged at him.

“ Umm, what about Derek? Is he not eating?” 

Laura laughed as she grabbed a piece of toast and bit into it.

“ Please, I am not Derek’s maid or cook. He’s a big boy. If he wants breakfast, he can bring his ass downstairs and cook it himself. Now why’d he punch you?” 

Stiles was nervous to tell her. For all he knew, Laura would strike out and punch him as well. Stiles nibbled at a piece of bacon before explaining to her about them going to a movie and how he had gone on and on about how realistic the scene of the guy dying in the fire had been. 

“ I swear if I had known I never would’ve opened my big mouth! Or invited him for that matter!” Stiles hastily told her.

Laura just sat there, turning her mug of coffee around in her hands with a frown before taking a sip and setting it down.

“ Well yea, I can see why that would have upset Derek. But it’s not your fault Stiles. You couldn’t have possibly known and he had no right to punch you. Derek always has been terrible with words though so-“

Before Laura could finish what she was saying, footsteps could be heard coming down the stairs.

“ Laura? I smell food. What’s for breakf-“

Derek came to an abrupt stop when he entered the living room and saw Stiles. The look Derek gave him made him feel like a bug about to be stepped on.

“ Hey baby bro. You never told me how adorable your friend was,” Laura accused with a smirk. 

_ Good to know someone’s enjoying this…  _ Stiles thought grimly. 

“ Dammit Laura! What’s he doing here?” Derek demanded with a growl. 

Stiles frowned. He really hated being talked about as if he weren’t there. He pushed himself off of the couch to yell at Derek.

“ Hey! I’m right here you know?”

Derek turned on him with the most menacing glare he could muster. Stiles instantly cowered back onto the couch.

“ Or not,” Stiles amended. “I can be invisible. I’ve always wanted to be invisible.” 

Derek’s glare got even more menacing if that was possible. 

“ And I’m shutting up now…”

“ Really Derek?” Laura huffed. “You’re acting like a child,” she chastised.

“ _ This  _ is none of your business Laura!”

The glare Laura fixed her brother with put Derek’s to shame. 

“ My brother acting like an idiot and being a complete asshole is totally my business Derek!” she hissed. 

Laura took a step towards Derek and shot a finger out to point at Stiles. Stiles groaned internally when the attention was brought back to him. 

“ You owe Stiles an apology and if you’d pull your head out of your ass and listened to what he had to say and talk to him, you’d know that!”

Laura then abruptly turned and left the room, heading into the kitchen and barking a, “Stay!” over her shoulder at Derek. 

The tension that filled the room could be cut with a knife as both actively avoided making eye contact with the other. 

A second later, Laura returned to the living room with the box of books in her hands. 

She tossed it at her brother, making Derek and Stiles both flinch. 

“ He came all the way here to give that to you! The least you could do is talk to him,” Laura finished her rant, sounding somewhat calmer than the moment before. 

Derek looked down at the box as if he didn’t know what to do with it. He then picked up the note Stiles had left on top, making Stiles flush and sink lower into the couch. 

Derek looked at Stiles’ note for a moment longer before letting out a noise that Stiles could only compare to a snarl before crumpling up the note and turning around to head back upstairs without so much as a glance at Stiles. 

_ What the hell was I thinking coming here? I’m never listening to Erica again!  _ Stiles thought. 

“ Well, I think that went well,” Laura commented with a breathy laugh before grinning over at Stiles. 

Stiles blinked in astonishment.

“ Well?” he nearly squeaked. “How could you consider that as going  _ well _ ?”

Laura shrugged. 

“ I just know my brother is all. He feels guilty about punching you even though he’ll probably never admit it. He’s always been emotionally constipated.”

She glanced down at the watch on her wrist and frowned.

“ Shit. I’ve gotta start getting ready for work. It was great having you over Stiles. Come by anytime, but for now I’m gonna have to kick you out.” 

Stiles nodded and then he was taken completely by surprise when Laura walked over and hugged him. 

“ I’m pretty sure Derek will start coming to the bookstore again,” she said before winking at him and walking him out to the front porch.

Stiles watched Laura wave at him from his rear view mirror as he left, and if he didn’t know any better, he’d say that Derek was watching him leave from an upstairs window as well. 

  
  
  
  


  
  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter will be up on August 14th. See you then!
> 
> Come say hi and hang out: 
> 
> https://1gurgi1.tumblr.com/


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> From this point forward I start to use Harry Potter as a bonding source for Stiles and Derek. I want to make it abundantly clear that I do not support JK Rowling or her views.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Teen Wolf belongs to MTV and Jeff Davis

“ So now,” Lydia surmised over the phone after Stiles got done telling her about what had happened at the Hale house the previous day, “you’re moping around and waiting for your boyfriend to show up at the bookstore?”

Stiles scowled. 

“ Dammit Lydia! He’s not my boyfriend. And I’m not  _ moping _ .”

Except that he kinda was. Ever since he had clocked in at work he had been walking around the store constantly so he always had a good view of the front windows so he’d know when Derek showed.

_If_! Stiles forcefully reminded himself. _If_ _he shows up._

“ Well, if you’re not moping then I’m sure you’re pacing around and perking up whenever you hear the door to the shop open,” Lydia stated smugly. 

Stiles groaned and braced his elbows on the counter.

“ Why did I even call you…?” Stiles mumbled to himself, but Lydia managed to hear him. 

“ Good question. I mean Erica’s the one that told you to go over there. So why aren’t you filling her in on your relationship drama?”

Choosing not to waste his time correcting her, Stiles bit at his lip before deciding to be honest.

“ Erica’s spending all day with Boyd and won’t answer her phone…” Stiles said in a rush as he squeezed his eyes shut. 

There was a beat of silence.

“ Oh nice Stilinksi, nice! See if I ever tell you anything again,” Lydia bit out with an arctic tone. 

“ Oh come on Lyds,” Stiles soothed, “are you really gonna pull a Jackson with the last name thing? You know I’d never intentionally leave you out of something.” 

He heard her exhale loudly before mumbling something that vaguely sounded like an apology. 

“Do my ears deceive me? Did you, Lydia Martin, _actually_ apologize? This moment should be recorded in history,” Stiles teased. 

“ Oh har har, Stiles,” Lydia shot back. “If you’re so bored at work that you have the time to talk on the phone, do you want me to stop by? Keep you company for a few hours?”

Stiles grinned at the idea and was a second away from accepting her offer but that was the exact time that Derek’s Camaro parked in front of the store. 

“ Shit…” Stiles cursed under his breath. 

“ Stiles?” Lydia asked in concern. “Is everything okay?”

“ Derek…” he breathed as an explanation. 

Stiles totally didn’t panic and escape to the back room. Really. He just happened to remember something he had to do back there. 

“ He’s there? What are you going to do?” Lydia inquired.

Stiles decided not to dignify her with a response. Instead, he opened the door a crack in the hopes of getting a look at Derek without being seen as he heard the bell above the front door sound. 

_ Creeper…  _ Stiles mentally scolded himself. 

“ You’re hiding aren’t you?”

Stiles chose not to dignify that with a response either. 

“ Stiles Stilinski!” Lydia barked over the phone. “You get out of whatever hiding spot you’ve crammed yourself into or so help me god I will-“

Stiles hung up before Lydia could finish her threat. He took a deep breath to steel himself before stepping out of the back room and went back to his spot behind the counter. He tried not to make it obvious that he was looking for Derek as he did so. 

Stiles wasn’t surprised that he didn’t see him right away. The section that Derek always went to was in the very back of the store and completely out of sight from the front desk. 

After waiting, not so patiently, for about ten minutes Stiles’ anxiety started to rise.

_ It never takes him this long to pick books…  _ Stiles thought.

He argued with himself for a few moments before stepping out from behind the counter and slowly making his way back to where he thought Derek was. 

_ What are you doing Stiles…Just because he’s here doesn’t mean he’s going to want to talk to you…let alone see you…he hates your g- _

Before Stiles could finish his thought, Derek rounded the corner and froze in his tracks when he saw Stiles. Stiles froze too, grinning nervously, and gave a half-hearted wave.

“ Uh, hi. Sorry. I know you hate me now. And honestly, I don’t blame you. I’ll, uh, just give you your space. Yea…” Stiles trailed off as he took a step away from Derek and started to turn around.

_ Idiot!  _ he berated himself. 

“ Stiles, wait,” Derek said softly. 

If Stiles didn’t know any better he’d say Derek sounded nervous as well. 

Stiles took a deep breath before turning to face Derek again. Stiles crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow at Derek. 

“ I don’t hate you. If anything you should hate me,” Derek finished as he looked up, making eye contact with Stiles. 

Stiles was taken aback by how vulnerable Derek looked and sounded. And it was also in that moment that Stiles remembered just how pissed he was at Derek. Stiles nodded in agreement.

“You know what, you’re actually right. I _should_ hate you. Or at least really dislike you because you’re a fucking _asshole_ Derek Hale! You _punched_ me! For no reason! Or so I was left to think because you just up and pulled a wizard move and disapparated on me! And yes I make nerd references when I’m pissed! Sue me!” 

Stiles huffed haughtily when he finished his rant, glaring daggers at a confused looking Derek. 

“ What? Oh my god! How have you not read or at least seen Harry Potter!?” Stiles exclaimed when he realized why Derek looked so confused. 

“ No. That is just-That is unacceptable,” Stiles said with a shake of his head. “Whatever twisted friendship thing we’ve got going on here is being put on hold until you’ve read those books. Scott not reading them is one thing. But you? Mister read a different book every day? Seriously, just read them.”

Derek looked like he had gotten lost in the middle of Stiles’ unexpected tangent but then his mind seemed to play catch up and he gave a quick nod.

“ Alright. Where are they?” Derek asked as he started scanning the shelves they were near, taking Stiles completely by surprise.

“ Wait, what? You realize there’s seven of them right?”

Derek just shrugged as he continued to scan the shelves. Stiles couldn’t believe Derek was actually taking what he had said to heart. It was almost as if he were-

“Oh my god!” Stiles exclaimed. “Is this your way of-Are you trying to apologize? Laura was right. You _are_ emotionally constipated. It’s just two little words Derek. Come on. You can say them. I’ll even give you a treat if you do.” 

Stiles’ teasing was rewarded with a typical glare from Derek. Stiles couldn’t help but laugh, his anger temporarily forgotten. 

“ So what? Did Laura kick you out? Tell you not to come back until you apologized?” Stiles guessed. 

“ No,” Derek denied, earning a skeptical look from Stiles. 

Derek sighed.

“ Okay yes, but she also told me not to come back until you agreed to come over for dinner tonight,” Derek elaborated. 

Stiles was momentarily stunned into silence. Derek was here? To invite him to dinner? 

_Did I wake up in an alternate universe? Am I dreaming?_ Stiles wondered.

Stiles lifted his arm to pinch himself in order to test his theories.

“ Yea no, that hurt. Definitely not dreaming then.” 

Derek rolled his eyes and sighed. 

“ I have no idea what you’re talking about, as usual. I need an answer Stiles,” Derek prodded.

Stiles focused back on Derek and thought over the dinner invite.

“ Well, umm, it kinda depends,” Stiles said.

Derek waited for Stiles to elaborate but he didn’t.

“ On?” Derek demanded impatiently. 

Stiles leveled Derek with an intense stare, looking uncharacteristically serious for a change. 

“ Are you only asking because Laura told you to? Or do you want me there as well?” 

The question seemed to really throw Derek. His eyebrows shot up in surprise and then his face scrunched up as he thought over an answer. 

“ I just want you to do what you want Stiles,” Derek finally said. 

Stiles seemed to deflate in disappointment. 

“ That doesn't answer the question Derek…” 

The pair continued to stand there, awkwardly staring at each other until a customer’s voice rang through the store.

“ Excuse me? Does anyone work here?” 

Stiles jumped in surprise before turning to head back to the checkout counter. He stopped to look back at Derek.

“ Sorry, I’ve gotta go,” Stiles said with an apologetic look before making his way back to the front of the store. 

When the front desk came back into view, there were three people in line waiting to be helped. The last of which asked Stiles to help her carry the bag of books she had bought out to her car. When Stiles made his way back inside Derek was waiting at the counter. Sans books. 

“ So I did some thinking,” Derek stated without preamble. 

Stiles smirked at that.

“ Oh really? We don’t know each other that well but sounds like that might be dangerous for you.” 

Derek chose to ignore Stiles’ snarky comment.

“ I want you to come over for dinner tonight. It’ll make Laura happy and we can talk more. Please?”

Adding the please at the end seemed to actually pain Derek, making Stiles grin smugly. 

“ Well if you insist,” Stiles said as if it were a hardship to have to go. “What time?”

“ How’s six sound?”

“ Sounds like a word that can and has been misheard as sex,” Stiles quipped, earning an unamused scowl from Derek. 

“ I’ll be there,” Stiles amended. 

~*~

Stiles wasn’t excited about having dinner with Derek and Laura in the slightest. Really, he wasn’t.

When he got off work, he _didn’t_ rush home to hop in the shower. He _didn’t_ choose his favorite pair of jeans, which also happened to be in the best shape, to wear along with his favorite red hoodie over the most comfortable white t-shirt he owned. 

So of course, when Stiles came bounding down the stairs with a huge grin on his face, freshly showered and looking somewhat well dressed, the sheriff got curious. 

“ Someone’s in a good mood,” John commented as he set the paper down. “Special plans with your friends tonight?”

Stiles walked over to the fridge and grabbed a bottle of water.

“ Uh, not really. I got invited to dinner by Laura and Derek Hale,” Stiles explained as he popped the cap off and took a swig.

His dad looked surprised.

“ You know the Hales?”

“Uh, kinda? Derek comes into the store a lot. I just met Laura yesterday. Wait, how do _you_ know them?” 

His dad let out a heavy sigh before answering the question.

“ Well…I knew their parents before the fire. Not well, but they were good people.” 

Stiles nodded somberly as he leaned back against a counter, fiddling nervously with the cap to his water.

“ So, you uh, like them then? It’s alright if I spend time with h-them?” Stiles asked, trying to sound nonchalant as he started to cross the room.

It didn’t work. John narrowed his eyes at his son’s nervous behavior.

“ Son, is this a date?”

Stiles walked straight into the wall. 

He groaned in pain before turning around, bracing himself against said wall. He reached up to pinch the bridge of his nose as he took in his dad’s casual appearance.

“ So, uh, had the day off today?”

“ Yupp.”

“ Went out around town?”

“ Yupp.”

“ Run into anyone?”

“ Lydia-“

“ Oh no,” Stiles groaned.

“ -And Erica.”

“ Look, whatever they said is a complete and utter lie. They were, uh, possessed by demons and -uh- demons lie.”

The sheriff raised a bemused eyebrow at his son.

“ Stiles, did you stay up late watching that unnatural show again?”

“ _Supernatural_ Dad, _Supernatural_. And I’m way behind because of school.”

“Whatever, so _are_ you or _aren’t_ you dating Derek Hale?” 

“ Definitely not. The guy barely tolerates me at best,” Stiles mumbled. 

“ Well the way the girls told it-“

“ Lydia and Erica don’t know anything other than what they have cooked up in their imaginations,” Stiles interrupted. “Besides, would it matter if I was dating him? Or anyone for that matter?” 

The sheriff shrugged before reaching for his mug of coffee.

“ Well it’s not like you’ve dated before and I’d just like to know when you start so I know that my- Why are you laughing?”

Stiles had started cracking up and was bent over trying to control his laughter.

“ I-I’m sorry dad but I’m twenty! I’ve dated before. Plenty of times actually.”

John’s eyes bugged as he took in the new piece of information.

“ You  _ have _ ? When? Who?” he demanded. 

Stiles just waved a dismissive hand.

“ Just people from school, people around town. No one important. Nothing serious. Trust me dad, if I meet someone important, someone special, you’ll know about it,” Stiles reassured. 

His father sighed before nodding.

“ At least tell me you’ve been safe?”

“ Of course dad, I always drive safely,” Stiles answered obtusely.

“ No son, I meant are you being safe  _ sexually _ ?”

If Stiles had been walking, he would’ve run right into a wall again.

“ And that boys and girls concludes the father/son talk of the night! I’ll be back later. Don’t wait up!”

With that, Stiles snatched his keys off of the table and ran out to his jeep.

~*~

Derek stepped out onto the porch as Stiles pulled into the driveway. Stiles took a deep breath before grabbing something off of his passenger seat and sliding out of the jeep. Stiles flashed Derek a grin as he made his way up to the porch.

“ Hey, how’d you know I was here?” Stiles asked once he was standing in front of Derek. 

Derek chuckled softly to himself as he led Stiles inside.

“ That piece of crap you drive has a very unique sound.”

Stiles huffed at the insulting remark.

“Hey! My jeep is not a piece of crap,” Stiles defended but then he gave a relenting sigh. “Okay, so maybe she is a piece of crap but Roscoe's _my_ piece of crap and I am very fond of her. So keep your insults to yourself. Not everyone can drive shiny Camaro’s you know.” 

“Roscoe?” Derek scoffed. 

“Yes,  _ Roscoe!” _

Before Derek could come up with something to say in response, Laura poked her head out of the kitchen with a huge smile before making her way over to give him a big hug.

“ Stiles! I’m so glad you came. I was worried Derek would scare you away.”

Derek grunted in disapproval at that. Stiles just laughed as he hugged her back.

“ Hey Laura.” 

Laura pulled back and beamed at him. Her hair was tied back in a high ponytail and Stiles was surprised to see she had an apron on over jeans and a blouse. Laura didn’t strike Stiles as an apron wearer. Though, the apron didn’t do much help for her face. She had flour smeared on her right cheek. 

Stiles laughed as he reached out to help wipe the flour off of her face.

“ What’s for dinner that involves flour?” he asked.

Laura was surprised and then laughed as well when she realized what Stiles was talking about.

“ Homemade pizza!” she told him before making her way back into the kitchen to wash her face off. 

Stiles glanced back at Derek; a scowl disappearing from his face so fast Stiles was sure he had imagined it.

“ Why not just order pizza? It’s a lot easier. You guys didn’t have to go to any trouble because of me.” 

Laura poked her head out again before Derek could answer.

“ After eating my pizza you’ll never want to  _ ‘just order pizza’  _ again!” 

She stuck her tongue out at Stiles before disappearing back into the kitchen. Stiles raised an eyebrow at Derek who just shrugged.

“ It’s true. It’s the only way Laura will eat pizza and then she converted me.” 

They lapsed into a silence, the only noise coming from the kitchen as Laura cooked. Stiles started beating the thing he had grabbed out of his passenger seat against his leg for something to do. The noise drew Derek’s attention and he raised a questioning eyebrow.

“ What’s that?” 

Stiles jumped in surprise before realizing what Derek was referring to. He shared a big grin before shoving a battered copy of _Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone_ into Derek’s chest.

“ I told you, you need to read it. And I know how you are, big guy. No speed reading. You’ve gotta take your time with these so you can fully appreciate them and catch everything that happens. Take a week to read it at the very least. Then I’ll let you borrow the second one.” 

Derek looked down at the book with a bemused look before glancing up at Stiles with an amused expression.

“ Did you just give me homework?”

Stiles’ eyebrows shot up. Laura poked her head back out.

“ I think he just gave you homework Der,” she supplied before popping back into the kitchen. 

Stiles bit at his lip nervously before hanging his head, chuckling softly.

“ Good god, I just gave you homework. What is wrong with me?” 

It was asked rhetorically so he was glad that Derek didn’t give an unwanted answer.

“ Thank you,” Derek uttered after a long stretch of silence.

Stiles’ head shot back up with a surprised expression before softening into a pleased smile.

“ No problem.” 

They stood there staring at each other, once again lapsing into a long silence. Derek opened his mouth to say something but then Laura’s voice sounded from the kitchen. 

“ Hey Stiles, what toppings do you like on your pizza?”

Stiles jumped in surprise again before turning to walk into the kitchen, Derek followed him a moment later. Stiles walked up to the counter Laura was working over, three medium sized pizzas rolled out and lathered with pizza sauce.

Stiles looked over the array of toppings Laura had laid out over the counter as she liberally sprinkled mozzarella cheese over all three. 

“ Umm, pepperoni and sausage is good for me. And once you think you’ve got enough cheese, keep going.” 

Laura laughed and bumped her hip against Stiles’.

“ You got it. Der? Do you want peppers or no?” she asked with a sly smirk on her face. 

Derek approached the counter and gently moved Laura out of the way.

“ I’m gonna do it myself Laur. Last time you did it you put jalapenos on it and nearly set my mouth on fire.”

“ Fine, but sabotage my pizza and I will end you in your sleep!” Laura threatened him as she approached a cabinet and pulled down three glasses. 

Leaving Stiles nearly hip to shoulder with Derek. Stiles’ breath hitched; the last time they had been this close was at the movies. 

Stiles tried to surreptitiously take a step to the right to give them some space but by the quick glance Derek gave from the corner of his eye, Stiles knew he had noticed. Stiles cleared his throat and tried to cover up the awkwardness.

“ So, umm, you aren’t going to sabotage her pizza are you?”

Derek chuckled as he started placing slices of pepperoni on one of the pizzas.

“ No, I’ll be nice this once. Wanna do yours to be safe?” he asked with a grin, offering some pepperoni to Stiles. 

Stiles rolled his eyes and shook his head.

“ Nah, I trust you,” he confided nonchalantly, sneakily grabbing some sausage to pop into his mouth. 

Derek froze for a second before looking at Stiles with an expression that he wasn’t sure how to decipher.

“ I punched you…” Derek finally said in a whisper. 

Stiles nodded, not needing the reminder.

“ That you did, big guy. I remember it quite clearly.”

Derek furrowed his eyebrows, looking thoroughly perplexed.

“ And yet you trust me?” he asked. 

Stiles blinked at him before letting out a deep sigh.

“ It’s just pizza Derek,” Stiles told him with a shrug before pushing away from the counter to see if Laura needed help with anything. 

~*~

A half hour later the pizzas were cooked to perfection and the trio was sitting in the living room enjoying their dinner.

When they had first sat down, Derek and Laura waited expectantly for Stiles to take his first bite. Stiles felt anxious having all eyes on him but he picked up a slice and took a big bite before nearly moaning in pleasure.

“ Oh my-I think I just had an orgasm in my mouth,” Stiles uttered without thinking. 

Derek scoffed while Laura just started laughing before pointing at Derek.

“ Ha! I’m not the only one who says that Der!”

Derek rolled his eyes before taking a bite of his own.

“ Yea, because you’re both idiots,” Derek replied after he finished chewing. 

“ Aww, love you too baby bro,” Laura simpered before turning to Stiles. 

“ So your dad doesn’t mind that you’re here for dinner does he?”

Stiles shook his head and finished chewing so he could reassure her.

“Oh no, it’s fine. He did think I was on a date at first though,” Stiles admitted, though he left out _who_ he thought Stiles was going on a date with. 

“ Crazy old man,” Stiles mumbled affectionately. 

Laura giggled and leaned over to peck Stiles on the cheek. 

“ You ever need a date Stiles, you know where to find me.”

Stiles laughed, knowing full well that she was joking. Derek however plastered on his trademark scowl.

“ You’re too old for him Laura,” Derek reminded her with an edge. 

“ I resent that. Are you insinuating that I am old?” Laura asked with a scowl. 

“ Your looks will only last so long Laura. Eventually your age will catch up with you,” Derek teased with a smirk.

“ I hate you,” Laura said as she balled up a dirty napkin to toss at Derek. 

“ Derek be nice,” Stiles scolded. “I don’t think you have anything to worry about Laura. Ten, twenty, thirty years from now, you will still be as beautiful as ever. Derek however is going to turn into a wrinkly, grouchy recluse.”

Derek sent a withering look Stiles’ way but Laura just clapped her hands with laughter before leaning over to throw her arms around Stiles. 

“ Oh my god, Stiles! I like you. Can we keep him Derek?” 

“ No,” Derek said without thought.

“ But he’s  _ adorable _ ,” Laura argued. 

“ Yea Derek, I’m  _ adorable _ ,” Stiles piped in. 

Derek pointed a finger at Stiles.

“ You, don’t encourage her.”

He then pointed his finger at Laura.

“ And you, he’s not some stray puppy we can just take in.” 

Laura rolled her eyes at her brother.

“ Exactly! He’s got the adorable quality of a puppy without the necessity to be potty trained.” 

Derek just rolled his eyes, not bothering to entertain her ridiculous notions any longer. The trio continued to eat before Laura jumped up to grab her phone.

“ Oh! Stiles, do you have a Facebook? Twitter? Instagram?”

Stiles nodded and was about to tell her all of the names he was under but then Derek interrupted them.

“ What the hell are those?”

Stiles just gaped at him before turning to Laura for answers.

“ So, uh, he hasn’t read Harry Potter and doesn’t know what the main social media’s are? Tell me, were your parents wolves cause I’m starting to think Derek was raised by wolves,” Stiles asked hesitantly, worried that he was being insensitive. 

But he didn’t seem to have anything to worry about though. Laura just snickered as she sat next him and handed him her phone so he could add himself to all of her pages.

“ Nope, he was just a huge mama’s boy. Our mother, Talia, didn’t really like technology based things. She was always in her own world, rarely watched TV, spared no time for the internet, always had her nose in a book, and well you know how that rubbed off on Derek. Derek doesn’t even have his own phone.” 

“ Oh, so that’s why you answered when I called from the bookstore. Derek wrote down your number. Makes sense now,” Stiles reasoned as he tapped away on her phone. 

“ What?” Laura asked, both her and Derek looking at him with bemused expressions. 

“ Oh, umm, see, after your book order arrived I was supposed to call and let you know so you could come pick it up, but I was kinda nervous to call cause I still thought you might kill me or something but I called anyways and when Laura answered I just kinda…hung up? Twice?” Stiles admitted. 

“ That was you?” Laura screeched, hitting him playfully on the shoulder. “Good lord, that drove me nuts! Derek kept telling me I had a secret admirer. Looks like I’m still woefully single with no suitors,” Laura said with a dramatic sigh.

“ I wouldn’t have killed you,” Derek said quietly around another bite of pizza. 

Once they were done eating, Laura stood up and stretched.

“ Alright, I’m going to go for a little run. I want the dishes done Derek. Play nice you two,” she told them before going upstairs to change and then leaving them alone in the living room. 

Stiles started to feel nervous all over again and forced himself to look anywhere but at Derek. Eventually Stiles scratched nervously at the back of his neck and cleared his throat.

“ So…” he started. 

“ I’ll wash, you rinse and dry?” Derek interrupted as he started to gather up their plates and glasses. 

“ Oh, uh, yea sure,” Stiles answered as he followed him into the kitchen. 

They stood side by side at the sink, mechanically doing the dishes in a tense silence. 

“ How much did Laura tell you?” Derek asked quietly.

Stiles nearly dropped the glass he was in the middle of drying at the unexpected question. If Derek noticed he didn’t let it show, he just handed a sudsy plate to Stiles before moving on to washing another one.

“ Not much,” Stiles told him just as quietly as he started to rinse and dry off the plate. “Just that your parents died in a fire and that your uncle took you guys in.” 

Derek nodded but didn’t say anything else as they finished up the dishes. They were seated back in the living room before Derek said anything else. 

“ You were right, I am an asshole,” Derek admitted.

“ Derek…” Stiles said in an attempt to stop him. “It’s okay.” 

He’d already forgiven Derek. He wasn’t exactly sure when it had happened but it had. He didn’t want Derek to feel like he had to do this. Derek waved him off and shook his head.

“No, let me finish. It was a long time ago, I shouldn’t have reacted the way I did. Hell, Laura can laugh and joke about them as if it’s nothing. Me? I just can’t handle it, can’t accept it, and can’t move on. So, not getting up and storming out during that movie was difficult. But I was trying. For you. Because I _do_ want to be your friend Stiles. I’m not sure how to go about it cause I’m not exactly the friendliest person.”

Derek stopped to grin sadly at Stiles and Stiles had to force himself to grin back for once. 

“I was trying to calm myself down, get it together as we walked back to the bookstore and I almost had but then when you started describing that scene, how realistic it was, sounding like it was enjoyable to watch…I knew you didn’t understand what you were saying, how it would sound to me, but still I just…I lost it. The next thing I knew, you were on the ground cause I had hit you. I regretted it instantly. I wanted to help you up but why the hell would you want anything else to do with me? And I just… I couldn’t bring myself to face you after that. It had only been a few weeks and I had already pushed away the closest thing I’ve had to a friend in a long time. And then there you were sitting in my living room because _you_ wanted to apologize of all things,” Derek breathed out on a quiet laugh. 

Silence settled over them again, Derek waiting for Stiles to speak and Stiles fishing around for something to say. 

“ My mom died of cancer when I was eight,” Stiles finally settled on. 

Derek looked stricken by the pronouncement. 

“ Stiles…I’m sorr-“

Stiles cut him off and plowed right on with what he wanted to tell him.

“ It was horrible, watching her in the hospital, hoping for when she’d be able to come home, not really getting that each day that passed was closer to her last. But despite how sick or weak she felt, she’d read to me every night before visiting hours were over and my dad or one of his deputy’s would have to take me home. In the end, I was the one with her when she died…my dad couldn’t have known that it was happening but he still blames himself for not being there.”

Stiles stopped talking, picking at the arm of the coach as he steadied himself. 

“ It’s been twelve years and I still can’t go into a hospital without feeling like I’m going to have a panic attack. I had them a lot, after my mom died. Not so much anymore but certain things set them off and hospitals are definitely number one on the list. The sight of them, the smell of them…”

Stiles shuddered just thinking about it and Derek started to get up in concern.

“ I’m fine,” he promised him, though his voice cracked when he said it. 

“ My point is, it might not be exactly the same, but I can understand what you were,  _ are _ , feeling Derek. I miss her every damn day and in some ways I still haven’t accepted it or moved on from it. Hell, if someone made a cancer joke I’d probably want to punch them too. So, if you ever wanna talk? You know where to find me and I’ll be all ears. And If I ever say something insensitive again? Use your words,  _ please.”  _

Stiles ended his speech with a smile and a joke, trying to relieve some of the tension floating through the room. Derek chuckled and nodded before grinning at Stiles so it seemed to work. 

They spent the rest of the night talking about some of their favorite books until Laura returned from her run. It irked Stiles that even with sweat running over her, Laura still looked flawless. If he went for a run that long he’d come back looking like a drowned rat. 

“ Hey boys,” she greeted after swiping a water bottle from the fridge. “Do anything fun while I was gone?”

“ Not really,” Derek told her at the same time that Stiles said, “Just did the dishes and talked about books.”

Laura pointed at Stiles.

“ See Derek? That is a proper answer. When someone asks you a question, you give a proper answer. You could learn a thing or two from Stiles.”

“ What? Like how to talk incessantly?” he deadpanned.

Stiles stuck his tongue out at the comment, making Derek actually smile. Before Stiles could morph his face into a stunned expression, a flash drew his attention. They both looked over at Laura who had her phone pointed at them.

“ Kodak moment,” she explained as she started tapping away on her phone. 

A moment later, Stiles’ phone buzzed with a notification. Laura had posted the picture to her Facebook and tagged him in it. Stiles chuckled at the picture and the caption underneath it:

**_Take a look at Derek’s new friend, Stiles! Isn’t he adorable?? And I just had to capture Derek actually smiling for a change on camera :))_ **

Stiles liked it and then was taken aback when a Peter Hale left a comment:

**_So adorable Laur but are you sure they’re just friends? That smile looks more than platonic to me ;)_ **

Laura started laughing when she saw the comment on her feed and Stiles saw that she liked it as well. Stiles hastily put his phone away, not wanting to think too much about it. When he looked up, he saw that Derek was frowning.

“ What’s going on?” 

Laura laughed some more before tossing Derek her phone.

“ Oh just Uncle Peter being Uncle Peter,” she told him. 

Stiles groaned, not wanting to know Derek’s reaction to the comment. Still, he watched him attentively as his eyes roamed over the picture and read the caption and comment. It looked like Derek started to blush but it was hard to tell. 

“ Dammit Peter…” Derek grumbled before looking apologetically at Stiles.

“ Sorry about my uncle. He’s insane.” 

“ No, it’s…fine,” Stiles found himself saying. 

He wasn’t sure if he should be happy or disappointed that Derek didn’t really seem bothered by the comment. 

“ Alright, I am beat and going to head to bed,” Laura announced as she retrieved her phone from Derek.

“ Good night Stiles,” she told him with a hug and a kiss to cheek. “Good night Der.”

She did the same to Derek before heading upstairs. Stiles stood up to stretch and scratched at his neck before grinning at Derek.

“ I should probably go. I’ve got work in the morning and my dad likes to freak if I’m out too late,” Stiles explained. 

Derek nodded and walked him to the door.

“ Hey, I’m sorry about my sister. She kinda gets carried away. If it bothered you at all I can talk to her-“

“ It’s okay Derek,” Stiles said, cutting him off. “It shows that she cares.” 

Derek chuckled and shook his head.

“ Alright, but the next time we do this? It’ll be with your friends around and when they embarrass you, remember, it’s because they care.” 

Stiles blinked in surprise at that and just stared curiously at Derek. Derek had been grinning but then it faltered when he saw the expression on his face.

“ What is it?” he asked nervously. 

“So… There will be a next time?” Stiles asked quietly, fiddling with his keys. 

And taking Stiles completely by surprise, Derek let out a loud bark of laughter at the question. 

“ Good night Stiles, I’ll see you tomorrow,” Derek told him by way of answer, but Stiles was still confused as he walked out to his jeep and made his way back home. 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter will be up on August 21st. See you then!
> 
> Come say hi and hang out:
> 
> https://1gurgi1/tumblr.com/


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Teen Wolf belongs to MTV and Jeff Davis

“ Hey, where did you guys live before Laura dragged you back here?” Stiles asked after a long stretch of silence. 

He was sitting on the floor behind the counter of the bookstore and looking over books before placing them in separate piles. It had been a very slow afternoon and out of sheer boredom Stiles had decided to reorganize the books on the shelf behind the counter. 

Since their kitchen was being worked on, Derek had decided to spend the day at the bookstore with Stiles. It had surprised Stiles at first but he enjoyed having Derek around even if all he did was sit in a chair and read the entire time. 

Derek didn’t respond at first, taking his time to finish the paragraph he was on.

“ New York,” he told him before going right back to reading. 

Stiles nodded and placed two more books onto a pile before asking another question.

“ Cool. I’ve never been. What’s it like?”

Derek sighed and closed his book, marking his place with his thumb as he thought over his answer. 

“ Crowded. Way too many people are always crammed into too small places. Most of the people are rude (Stiles scoffed at that but Derek chose to ignore it). And it’s always noisy with traffic and people. At least here you can step outside and actually hear yourself think. Oh and depending on where you are it never really smells pleasant.” 

Stiles scrunched his face up as he created a new pile to sort books into.

“ Sounds like you hated it?”

Derek shrugged.

“ Peter and Cora love it. Laura could fit in anywhere she goes. I got used to it after a while but it’s not my first choice no. Everyone was happy so I tried not to complain too much.” 

Stiles bit at his lip as he looked up at Derek.

“ Why’d Laura want to come back?” 

Derek studied him silently, deciding if he wanted to talk about it Stiles guessed. 

“ Laura was looking through old pictures and she ‘ _ felt a pang of misery for our old dilapidated house _ .’ Her words, not mine. So she got this idea into her head to fix it up and make it a home again. And you’ve met Laura, she’s tenacious. She gets an idea in her head and won’t let it go. Cora refused to come back but Laura wore me down eventually.” 

Stiles leaned back against the counter as he took it all in. He wondered what his summer would’ve been like if he hadn’t met Derek. And then a question started to nag at him but he was scared of the answer. Still, he asksed. 

“ Do you regret coming back?” he asked in a whisper.

It took so long for Derek to answer that Stiles started to think he hadn’t heard him. 

“ No, Beacon Hills is starting to grow on me.”

He said it casually but the look on his face made Stiles think he meant something different. Stiles cleared his throat before standing up to start shelving the books. 

“ Oh really? Is it all the books you’ve been getting? I bet it’s all the books,” Stiles joked, chuckling when he heard Derek’s quiet laugh. 

“ Yea, but your incessant chattering has helped some too.” 

Stiles froze before looking quickly over at Derek. He was attentively reading his book so either what he said wasn’t as big a deal as Stiles heard it to be or he was pointedly not looking at Stiles. 

“ So, uh, Cora?” Stiles finally choked out. 

“ What about her?” Derek asked.

Stiles shrugged and put a few more books on the shelf before he turned to face Derek and leaned against the counter.

“ Well she’s your younger sister right? What’s she like?” 

Derek shut his book again and thought it over.

“ She’s your age. She’s an art major at NYU. Cora’s almost the spitting image of Laura and…and our mom. She’s also as stubborn as Laura. Which is why Laura knew to give up when Cora put her foot down about not coming back. She’s very distrusting of people, doesn’t really let anyone get too close. If she’s not at school, she’s in her room drawing, painting, or sculpting.” 

Stiles nodded as he quietly listened. Besides Derek’s little hesitation about mentioning his mom he sounded okay so Stiles thought it’d be alright to joke.

“ So, she got all of Laura’s good looks but all of your broody, recluse attitude huh?” 

It was met with silence so Stiles started to think he had crossed a line.

“ I’m not good looking?” Derek asked after a moment. 

Stiles froze in putting a book away before continuing what he was doing.

“ I didn’t say that,” Stiles evaded. 

“ So I  _ am _ good looking?” Derek pushed.

Stiles bit at his lip, fighting back a grin.

“ I didn’t say that either.” 

Before either of them could think of something more to say, Lydia came sauntering into the bookstore. Stiles glanced over his shoulder when he heard the bell and visibly paled when he saw the anger on Lydia’s face.

“ Stiles Stilinski! I cannot believe you hung up on me yesterday! Just because you’ve got a little bo-“

“ Lydia!”

Stiles raised his voice to talk over her before she could call Derek his boyfriend. She looked affronted but stopped talking when she noticed Derek sitting off to the side of the counter. He raised an eyebrow at Stiles, silently asking who she was.

“ Uh Derek, this is my friend Lydia. Lydia this is Derek,” Stiles introduced as he gestured between the two of them.

Lydia flashed a smug smile at Derek as she wrapped a possessive arm around Stiles’ waist.

“One of his _best_ friends actually,” she corrected before turning to Stiles. “I’m not disappointed but I’m not overwhelmed either,” she told him cryptically. 

Stiles glared at her before stepping away to go back to shelving the books. Derek, not one to make small talk, went back to reading. Lydia pursed her lips before leaning over the counter. 

“ So you’re the one that’s stolen our little Stiles away,” Lydia aimed at Derek.

“ Lydia!” Stiles hissed but she just waved a dismissive hand at him.

Derek looked up at her with a scowl.

“ Pretty sure he’s still here,” he told her before going back to his book. 

Lydia rolled her eyes.

“ Yes, but he’s always talk-“

“ Was there something you wanted Lydia?” Stiles asked her loudly, cutting her off from saying anything else that Stiles deemed unnecessary. 

Lydia turned on Stiles with a glare.

“ Rude, Stiles, rude. Anyways, since you haven’t answered my texts or calls,” she threw an accusing glare at Derek who was oblivious as he read, “I came to see if you had Saturday or Sunday off?” 

Stiles quickly glanced at his schedule before telling her his schedule for the weekend.

“ Awesome. Come over when you get off work on Saturday. We’re going to do a proper movie and pizza night followed with a sleepover since the last one was a bust. You’re in charge of drinks and anything else you may crave.” 

And then with a flick of her hair, Lydia was sauntering back out the door. 

“ She’s…” Derek started.

“ Something else, I know,” Stiles finished for him. 

“ A lot like Laura actually,” Derek told him. 

Stiles chuckled and nodded in agreement.

“ I thought so too. But if Lydia’s something else, my friend Erica is a million times worse. But, it’s hard not to love them.” 

Stiles’ phone chirped, alerting him to a text.

**[From Lydia: Bring your boyfriend too. But make him leave the book behind. Boooring.]**

Stiles bit at his lip as he thought the offer over. He wanted Derek to come along, he did. But not if it meant his friends were going to keep referring to Derek as his boyfriend. And he was sure his friends, mostly Erica, would give Derek a hard time about the whole punching thing. Still, he did want them to meet Derek…

“ Everything okay?” Derek asked.

Stiles jumped and looked over at him with a grin.

“ Yea. Just, Lydia said you can come along on Saturday. If you want, I mean,” Stiles explained.

Derek furrowed his eyebrows, seemingly confused.

“ Why?” 

Stiles shrugged, not really sure himself.

“ Well, we’re friends now. And my friends would like to meet you. And I’d kind of like you to meet them too. But I mean, it’s no big deal really. Just pizza and movies. And you don’t even have to stay the night if you don’t want to. We could just hang out for a few hours…”

Stiles trailed off, realizing he was rambling. He shook his head before going back to shelving the books he had sorted, taking Derek’s silence as a resounding no. 

“ Alright. I’ll go,” Derek said, taking Stiles by surprise.

It surprised Stiles so much that he actually dropped the books he was holding, a sharp pain shooting through his foot as they fell. 

“ Ow, fuck! Really? You’ll go?” he asked once he got the feeling back in his feet. 

Derek, who seemed to be fighting back an amused smile, simply nodded. 

“ Wow, awesome! I’ll, uh, just let her know.”

Stiles snatched up his phone and shot off a reply.

**[To Lydia: He said he’d go. But I have two conditions.]**

**[From Lydia: Being?]**

**[To Lydia: One, absolutely no calling him my boyfriend because he’s not. Two, everyone needs to promise to be nice.]**

**[From Lydia: Nice is such a broad term.]**

**[To Lydia: LYDIA!]**

**[From Lydia: Fine! I agree to your terms.]**

Stiles turned to Derek with a big grin.

“ It’s all set.” 

~*~

“ Wait, wait, wait,” Laura finally managed to wheeze out when she was done laughing her ass off. 

“You’re telling me that you got Derek, my brother, who broods and scowls so much it could be a full time job, you got _Derek_ to agree to go to a _slumber party_?” 

“ Dammit Laura, it’s not a slumber party!” Derek growled but like all the other times he had said that, Laura just ignored him. 

“ I wouldn’t exactly call it a slumber party,” Stiles told her, fighting back a grin, trying to help Derek out some. “We’re just going to hang out with my friends for a few hours and then crash there.” 

Laura ignored Stiles as well.

“ Can you just imagine it though,” Laura started with a gleeful smile. “Derek being sat down and given a makeover! Horrendous makeup put on, pulling his hair into little bows, maybe even a mani/pedi…”

Then both Laura and Stiles were laughing their asses off because the image was just too much.

Completely unamused, Derek just scowled at the pair, seriously questioning the people he allowed in his life.

~*~ 

A few hours later after Stiles had left; Laura was smirking at Derek over her tea as he read. He tried ignoring her at first but Laura was a force that could not be ignored.

“ What?” Derek finally snapped.

“ Oh nothing,” she told him loftily, “Just wondering when the wedding is.” 

Derek stared at her blankly before going back to his book.

“ What wedding? We don’t know anyone that’s getting married.” 

“ I’ll be the Maid of Honor of course. I’ll need to know a date soon so I can have a dress picked out and tailored in time,” Laura went on as if Derek hadn’t said anything. 

“ Laura-”

“ I’ll need to know the color palette as well. Clashing would be frowned upon. Or maybe I should pick the colors. You’re always wearing dark and depressing colors and Stiles is always wearing plaid-“

“ Why the hell are you making it sound like Stiles and I are getting married?” Derek interrupted as he pinched the bridge of his nose. 

“ Because you are head over heels for that boy Baby Bro! Marriage is just around the corner,” she told him, raising her cup of tea as if for a toast. 

“ I’m not sure what’s going on in that demented brain of yours, but Stiles and I are just friends,” Derek corrected her as he stood up, looking uncomfortable. 

“Please! I’m not stupid Derek. You’re going to a _slumber party_ with him. Love is in the air!” Laura cried before humming the wedding march. 

“ It’s not a slumber party Laura. Whatever’s in the air is making you delusional,” Derek told her as he headed for the stairs.

“ Whatever,” Laura said with a dismissive wave of her hand. “You like him,” she sing-songed. 

“ I’m going to bed. Good night Laura,” Derek threw over his shoulder as he took the stairs two at a time. 

If Laura shouted her approval after him, Derek chose not to hear it. 

~*~ 

“ I don’t think so.”

“ But-“

“ Absolutely not.”

“ Just-“

“ Stiles, no,” Derek told him sternly.

Stiles pouted and gestured at his jeep.

“ You act like she’s going to fall apart or something! Roscoe is perfectly safe, I promise. Can we go now?” 

Derek just scowled, refusing to take a step near the blue monstrosity that was Stiles’ jeep. Derek had showed up at the store on Saturday after Stiles’ shift was over like Stiles had asked him to. What he hadn’t been aware of was Stiles’ plan to drive them over to Lydia’s.

“ Why can’t I just follow you?” Derek asked.

Stiles chuckled and scratched at his neck nervously.

“ Technically you could but usually Lydia’s driveway is pretty crammed having everyone over and I guess one more car couldn’t hurt but it would be pushing it.” 

“ And we can’t go in my car because…?” Derek hedged at one last attempt to save himself from getting into Stiles’ jeep. 

“ More room for the stuff we need to grab from the store,” Stiles answered promptly with a smug grin, sensing the argument was won. 

Derek sighed, knowing Stiles’ point was valid. 

“ Everyone’s waiting,” Stiles pushed in response to Derek’s silence.

“ Fine,” Derek snapped before stomping over to the jeep and throwing himself into the passenger seat. 

Stiles laughed quietly to himself as he slid into the driver’s seat and patted the dashboard affectionately.

“ Don’t think anything of it baby, he secretly loves you.”

Derek just scoffed and crossed his arms as Stiles drove them to the nearest grocery store to pick up some two liters and some snacks.

“ Curly fries?” Derek asked as they pulled away from the drive-thru Stiles had insisted they stop at before heading to Lydia’s.

“ Yepp. They are one of the major food groups. They are also a must have for any occasion,” Stiles told him in a serious tone. 

Derek just rolled his eyes, not sure why he was surprised. They may have known each other for barely a month, but Derek felt he was pretty familiar with Stiles’ tendencies and quirks.

“ Stiles, you’re late!” Lydia chastised when Derek and Stiles stepped into her living room. 

“ Calm down Lyds,” Stiles replied, unconcerned. “We couldn’t agree on who would drive. He’s anti-Jeep.” 

“ I wouldn’t be caught dead in your Jeep either, Stilinski. Your friends smart at least,” a sneering blond commented. 

Derek had wanted to hide how nervous and uncomfortable he felt being there, but he couldn’t help but take a defensive step back when he realized eight pairs of inquisitive eyes were trained on him. 

“ Oh right,” Stiles jumped in when he realized all attention was on Derek. “Guys, this is Derek. Derek, that’s Scott and his girlfriend Allison. You met Lydia, the jerkface in the back is her boyfriend Jackson. The blonde glaring at you is Erica, don’t worry, her bark is worse than her bite. The tall guy next to her is her boyfriend Boyd. You saw Danny at the movies. And you remember Isaac right?”

Derek nodded, focusing on matching up names with faces. Stiles talked about his friends constantly so Derek knew if he wanted to stay friends with Stiles, there would need to be at least some approval from his friends. 

“ So you're Derek,” Erica said as she gave him a once over.

The tone in her voice gave Stiles a very bad feeling. Erica pushed herself off of the couch; her heels clicking against the hardwood floors as she made her way over to where they stood. She had a predatory glint in her eyes that had Derek regretting agreeing to come. 

Still, Derek remembered Stiles imploring him not to be rude, so he mustered up what he hoped was a friendly grin and nodded. 

“ Erica, be nice!” Stiles ordered. 

The blonde ignored her friend, stepping to the side and shaking an accusing finger at Derek. 

“ Listen to me you assface! You have no idea how much I just want to slap you right now. But. Two wrongs don’t make a right. So. You hurt our Stiles ever again-No scratch that! You touch him, you so much as look at him the wrong way and I swear on everything that is sacred, I will hunt your ass down and rip your heart out! Capisce?” 

Derek swallowed nervously before slowly nodding his head in understanding. If what Stiles said was true and this girl was anything like Laura, she carried through with her threats.

“ Good,” she said with a saccharine smile before leaning forward to peck Stiles on the cheek. “Calm down Batman, it’s not like I damaged him or anything. Besides, everyone was thinking about it. I was just the only one to act on it.” 

And then with a wink she was sauntering her way back to Boyd’s side, looking completely unabashed.

Stiles turned around to face Derek with a frantic look.

“ Oh my god, Derek I am so sorry. They all promised they’d be nice. Are you okay?” Stiles asked as he bit at his lip, worried that Derek was going to turn around and never look back after Erica's tirade. 

“ Well Derek,” Lydia said without looking up from filing her nails, “at least now you know how our Stiles felt when you punched him and left him alone on the street.” 

She spoke calmly but there was a distinct edge to her voice that had the hair on the back of Derek’s neck rising. He made a mental note to never let Erica or Lydia meet his sister. Derek took in the worried look on Stiles’ face before leaning his head back, letting out a sigh.

“ Yea, I deserved that didn’t I?” 

An affirmed murmur ran through the room, which Derek ignored. He didn’t relax until Stiles blinked at him in surprise before letting a small grin spread across his face. Derek mouthed an apology at him, which Stiles shrugged away before turning to his friends.

“ We’ve got a gazillion two liters in the jeep, so if you have any hope of drinking anything tonight I suggest you get your butts up and help carry them in. And if you have any attachment to your fingers, keep your hands off of my curly fries!” 

~*~

An hour later, after pizza had been ordered and delivered, they were crammed onto the couch or loveseat as they watched the first movie of the night. 

Derek didn’t think there would be anymore issues with Erica, but Stiles had still insisted she and Boyd sit as far from Derek as possible. Derek doubted Stiles had any chance of preventing Erica from getting to him if she so wished, but if Stiles wanted to take on the role of guard dog so be it. 

Stiles was wedged between Derek and Allison, who was curled into Scott’s side and had her feet resting on Stiles’ lap. Stiles didn’t seem to think anything of it so Derek assumed it was the norm. In fact, the whole group didn’t seem to have any qualms with touching each other.

Lydia and Erica were leaning back into their boyfriend’s chests, their legs entangled in the space between them. Erica was lazily running her fingers through Isaac’s hair, who looked perfectly content leaning against Danny’s leg. 

It was oddly comforting seeing how comfortable the close group of friends were with each other. Still, despite them all being nice and welcoming after the Erica incident, Derek couldn’t help but feel like he didn’t belong there. But then, Stiles looked at him with that smile of his and he instantly relaxed. He even gave him a small smile in return. 

_ Fuck, I’m in trouble…  _ Derek thought to himself. 

Halfway through the second movie, once Derek had pushed all worries from his mind and had actually started to feel comfortable, a yelp came from his side and he suddenly had a lapful of Stiles; flailing limbs and all.

“ Dammit Stiles! What the hell is wrong with you?” Derek demanded as he narrowly avoided taking an elbow to the nose. 

“ Sorry-just-gotcha!” Stiles yelled before sitting up, dragging his phone out of the hoodie he had strewn on the floor beside the couch.

“ Sorry, promised my dad I’d call and check in. Be right back,” Stiles explained with a grin before clapping Derek on the knee and making his way into the other room. 

His friends quietly chuckled at his antics before returning their attention back to the movie. Derek was still kind of floored. No matter how familiar he felt he was with Stiles, he continued to surprise him with his antics. 

“ It means he’s comfortable with you,” Allison quietly whispered as she leaned over into Derek’s space, a smile dimpling her cheeks. 

Derek raised an eyebrow, eyeing her warily. 

“ You know, the touching and lack of respect for personal space. It means Stiles is comfortable with you,” she clarified so Derek understood. 

“ I thought that was just a Stiles thing,” Derek finally replied, thinking it would be rude to ignore his friend’s best friend’s girlfriend. 

Her cheeks dimpled again, but this time shyly.

“ Well that too. He wouldn’t do that if he wasn’t comfortable with you though. It took him months to disregard my personal space. He didn’t like me at first, thought I would break Scott’s heart. Just trust me, okay?” 

Derek wasn’t one to blindly trust someone he had just met, but it was hard to doubt the genuine smile on her face. He nodded to let her know he understood before looking up when Stiles came back into the room. He sat closer to Derek than before and leaned close to Derek’s side, asking in a whisper what he had missed. 

Derek didn’t mind. He wanted to be comfortable with Stiles too. 

~*~

“ You don’t talk much, do you Derek?” Danny asked all of a sudden.

The group was trying to decide what the last movie of the night would be. Well, some of them were. Scott was watching Stiles and Isaac play some card game while Lydia painted Allison’s nails. Everyone else was bickering about movies while Derek observed it all silently from the couch. 

At hearing his name, Derek looked over at Danny and simply shrugged to answer the question. 

“ Yea, the guy could practically be a mute couldn’t he Danny boy?” Stiles piped in with. 

“ Shut up,” Derek told him, nudging Stiles’ back with his foot. 

At the touch, Erica’s head whipped up with a glare aimed at Derek. He wasn’t scared of Erica. Really he wasn’t. Still, he quickly retracted his foot from Stiles’ vicinity. The blonde smiled knowingly at him, seemingly placated, as she went back to telling Jackson that his taste in movies sucked. 

“ Hey, hey! You never told us how you met?” Scott asked

“ Yea I did,” Stiles corrected him. “Remember, I told you at the diner? The guy gave me a heart attack and was beyond rude.”

“ I wouldn’t have given you a heart attack if you had been paying attention!” Derek snapped back. 

“ Details,” Stiles said with a wave of his hand before sticking his tongue out at Derek. “Either way, we’re friends now so it’s all good.”

“ Maybe I’m starting to regret my choice in friends,” Derek said with a sigh.

“ Pssh, no you don’t,” Stiles said confidently, but the look on his face was uncertain. 

“ Clearly he doesn’t or he wouldn’t be here,” Lydia supplied as she capped the nail polish she had been using. “Are we watching another movie or what? I’m starting to get tired.” 

Derek tilted his wrist to look at his watch, realizing that it was one in the morning. He couldn’t remember the last time he had stayed up past midnight but he hadn’t felt tired until Lydia said something. 

Everyone went back to deciding on a movie while Stiles got up and went to sit beside Derek. 

“ You gonna be able to make it through another movie?” 

Derek raised an eyebrow in question.

“ What’s that supposed to mean?” 

“ You just looked at your watch and you look pretty tired. Is it past your bedtime old man?” Stiles teased.

“ I’m not old!” Derek snapped. 

“ You’re a lot older than us,” Stiles pointed out.

“ I’m only five years older than you,” Derek told him with a very serious tone. 

Stiles’ eyes widened in surprise.

“ Easy big guy, I’m just teasing. You’re not old. You’re the farthest thing from old. Is that better?”

“ Oh shut up,” Derek grumbled. 

Derek rolled his eyes when Stiles started chuckling. 

“ This isn’t going to turn into a cuddle orgy is it?” Derek asked, trying to change the subject. 

Stiles let out a huff of laughter.

“ Did you,  _ Derek Hale _ , just use the phrase ‘ _ cuddle orgy’ _ ?”

“ Stiles-“

“ Nothing’s wrong with a little cuddling Derek.”

“ Stiles!”

“ God Derek, would you relax.  _ I’m just messing with you _ . No, there’s not going to be a  _ cuddle orgy _ . I mean, Allison and Scott and Lydia and Jackson are going to cuddle, that’s a given. Erica will sometimes sidle up to me or Isaac but since Boyd’s here that won’t happen. Just relax, okay?”

Derek still wasn’t convinced that much was clear to Stiles.

“ Look, if it will make you more comfortable, do you wanna sleep on the couch? Or, if you really want me to I’ll take you home…”

Stiles trailed off, sounding disappointed. Derek mentally berated himself. The whole reason he had agreed to come was for Stiles yet here he was ruining it.

“ Stiles, I’ll be fine. Remember how much effort it took for me to get comfortable with you? I just met them so it’s gonna take some time. Especially when the first time I meet them I have my life threatened.” 

Stiles swallowed, looking very apologetic.

“ I’m so sorry about that.”

“ Stiles it’s fine.”

“ No it’s not Derek. She shouldn’t have yelled at you like that.”

“And _I_ shouldn’t have punched you.” 

Stiles went quiet, eyeing Derek for a long stretch of silence before nodding. 

“ Right. I’ll be right back.”

Stiles pushed himself off of the couch, grabbed his overnight bag, and headed for what Derek assumed was the bathroom. 

“ What’s wrong with Stiles?” Erica asked with an edge to her voice. 

Everyone’s head snapped up at the question and looked questioningly at Derek when they realized Stiles had left the room. 

“ Nothing,” Derek told them quickly. “He just went to the bathroom.” 

Erica narrowed her eyes, obviously not believing a word Derek said. Thankfully Stiles came traipsing back into the living room, his usual smile back in place. 

“ You guys decide on a movie? Or are we just gonna catch some z’s?” 

They ended up throwing in  _ The Avenger’s _ , which apparently was one of Stiles’ favorite movies. Derek couldn’t decide if it was amusing that Stiles twitched and quoted lines in excitement, or if it was annoying. 

_Annoying…_ Derek decided when Stiles punched him on the arm when The Hulk punched Thor out of the shot. _Definitely annoying,_ though he was having a hard time fighting back a grin. 

Once the movie was over, they dragged what seemed like every blanket and pillow Lydia owned into the living room before everyone got dressed for bed. Derek wasn’t surprised by how content everyone was to just lie down and get comfortable. It was obvious they had done this countless times. 

Derek grabbed two pillows and a blanket for himself before getting settled in a spot, sitting with his back to the couch for now. 

Stiles had laid down near Derek but had given him enough space so he wouldn’t feel crowded. Derek wasn’t sure if he should feel grateful or disappointed. Stiles was laying on his stomach, cradling a pillow under his head, looking close to sleep.

“ Hey, Stiles?” Derek whispered. “Can I use your phone? I wanna text Laura.” 

Stiles nodded in understanding and tossed him his phone before letting out a yawn, nuzzling his pillow as he closed his eyes.

“ Tell her I said hi. Night Derek.” 

“ Night,” Derek whispered back. 

Derek shot off a text to Laura before laying down and getting comfortable. Lydia got up to the turn the lights off before settling down next to Jackson. 

At first the room was filled with the groups shuffling as they all tried to get comfortable and fall asleep; eventually evening out to a calm silence that was only interrupted by light snores. 

Derek knew he’d have a hard time falling asleep. In a new place with a bunch of new people, who wouldn’t have a hard time falling asleep? 

He tried to shift as quietly as possible so he wouldn’t wake anyone up. Eventually, though he’d never admit it, watching Stiles sleep helped him settle down. 

_Yea, cause that’s not creepy Derek…_ he thought to himself. 

Surprisingly enough, Stiles actually managed to stay still in his sleep. Derek figured he’d toss and turn constantly. Not that he’d thought of Stiles sleeping or anything. Stiles looked young to begin with, but in his peaceful sleep he looked even younger. And then Stiles started to drool which had Derek question why he was attracted to the kid in the first place.

Derek groaned at the thought. Laura had wormed her way into his head and had forced him to admit what he had been trying to deny all along, he had it bad for Stiles. 

_Yepp, I’m definitely in trouble,_ was his last thought before turning his back to Stiles and finally falling asleep. 

~*~

Stiles jerked awake when Scott rolled over and ended up kicking him in the side. He aimed a kick right back at his best friend before scooting out of the danger zone. Which brought him closer to Derek. Stiles smiled softly at his friend’s back, but then frowned when he realized Derek’s back was tensed up. 

He bit at his lip nervously before hesitantly reaching out to place his hand flat between Derek’s shoulder blades. Derek tensed even more under his touch and he could feel his heart beating erratically under his fingertips but after a moment his heart rate slowed and Derek started to relax. 

Stiles smiled and gripped Derek’s shirt loosely, ready to fall back to sleep like that. But then he heard Isaac quietly whisper, “Crush…” at him and Stiles quickly jerked his hand away and back to his side. He aimed a soft kick at Isaac’s head, a smug smile crossing his face when he heard the curly headed blond grunt in surprise, before falling back asleep. 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter will be up on August 28th. See you then!
> 
> Hope you are enjoying!
> 
> Come say hi and hang out:
> 
> https://1gurgi1/tumblr.com/


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Teen Wolf belongs to MTV and Jeff Davis

A few days later, Stiles was rudely awakened by his phone going off incessantly. He grumbled and tried burrowing under his covers to drown out the noise before giving in and grabbing for his phone. 

“ Speak,” he grumbled without checking to see who it was.

“ Stiles, I thought we were friends?” the person accused over the line. 

Stiles scrunched his face up as he tried to place the familiar voice.

“ Laura? What time is it?” he asked. 

“ Almost five. Are we friends or aren’t we?”

“ Of course we’re friends Laura. What’s this about? And why couldn’t it wait till an hour that normal people are awake and functioning?” 

“If we’re friends, explain why I had to wait for a _Facebook_ notification to know that your birthday is on Friday?” she demanded, the pout evident in just her voice. 

Stiles groaned.

“ It never came up?” Stiles suggested.

“ _ Never came up _ ,” Laura mocked. “Derek knew so obviously it came up with him.”

“ Yea, well I spend more time with Derek than you Laura. I’m sure I would’ve told you. It’s not that big of a deal,” Stiles tried to reason. 

“ I want to throw you a party,” she told him. 

“ You what?” 

Stiles was not awake enough to be having this conversation.

“ You heard me. I want to throw you a birthday party,” she repeated slowly to be sure he had understood. 

“ That’s really unnecessary Laura.”

“Screw unnecessary-Ugh what? Fine! Derek wants me to tell you to bring _Chamber of Secrets_ over later.”

“ He’s up?” Stiles asked incredulously. 

After the sleep over at Lydia’s, Stiles was more than aware that Derek was _not_ a morning person. 

“ Well he is now. After I got the notification I jumped on him, demanding information.”

“ Brave girl,” Stiles told her with a chuckle. 

“ Oh please. We both know he’s a big ole softie.”

An unmistakable growl could be heard over the line, making Laura and Stiles both start laughing. 

“ So can I throw you a party or not? Please? Pleasepleasepleaseplease-“

“ Oh my god, fine! Just let me go back to sleep,” Stiles pleaded. 

He winced at the squeal Laura emitted at getting her way.

“ Thank you! This is going to be great! Come over later when you’re less grumpy and sleep deprived,” she told him, making a smooching noise before hanging up. 

Stiles dropped his phone back onto his nightstand before rolling over and burrowing back under the covers, quickly falling back to sleep. 

~*~

“ Off to the Hale’s again?” Stiles’ father asked as he ran down the stairs and past the dining room. 

He froze in his tracks before popping his head around the doorway, narrowing his eyes at the glazed donut in his father’s hand.

“ Uh yea. Laura wants to throw me a birthday party and wants help planning,” Stiles told him with an eye roll. 

The sheriff’s eyes flicked from the paper in his hand and up to his son’s face.

“ Laura?” he asked ambiguously. 

“ Yes?” Stiles replied, mimicking his tone. 

“ This has nothing to do with Derek then?”

“ I will confiscate that donut if you continue with that insinuation. I don’t know what any of my friends have been telling you, but me and Derek? We are friends. Just friends.” 

“ So he didn’t spend the night with you at Lydia’s the other night?” 

Stiles groaned, sinking into a dining room chair and holding his head in his hands.

“ How could you possibly know that? I mean it’s not like I was actively hiding it or anything but I knew you would take it the wrong way so I just never mentioned it. So how?”

“ Melissa,” he promptly answered as he went back to reading the paper. “We had lunch yesterday. She told me how Scott was telling her about meeting your ‘crush’ at Lydia’s.” 

“ It’s not a crush!” Stiles exploded. “And since when did you have lunch with Melissa?” 

The sheriff, taking Stiles completely by surprise, flushed at the question.

“Dad, you know you’re allowed to date right? I want you to be happy. _Mom_ would want you to be happy,” Stiles told him seriously. 

His father sighed, visibly aging in a way that made Stiles’ heart clench. 

“ I miss her son…” he told Stiles as he dragged his hand down his face, a misty look in his eyes. 

Stiles swallowed, nodding in understanding as he reached out to grip his father’s hand. 

“ I miss her too Dad but she wouldn’t want you to be alone.”

The sheriff smiled softly at his son.

“ When’d you get to be so smart?”

Stiles chuckled and shrugged.

“ I guess college had its way with me. I’ve gotta go. You okay?” he asked as he stood up. 

“ Yea,” the sheriff told him, waving him off. “I’ve gotta work late so don’t stay up.” 

“ Alright. Love you dad,” Stiles told him.

“ Love you too son.” 

~*~

When Stiles arrived at the Hale house, he went ahead and let himself in. He had been uncomfortable doing so the first few times but Laura insisted that he was always welcome and knocking was reserved for people who were unsure of their welcome. But walking in on Laura and Derek fighting made Stiles wish he had knocked. 

“ Dammit Laura just lay off!” he roared at her before turning on Stiles. “This is all your fault!” he growled at him before stomping up the stairs.

“ Derek Hale don’t you yell at him like that! He’s done nothing wrong! Get back here!”

Derek ignored her, disappearing down the hallway before the slamming of his door sounded through the house. 

Needless to say, Stiles was flabbergasted.

He turned to Laura, the question evident in his expression. Laura smiled apologetically at him.

“ He didn’t mean it, Stiles. He’s just not a fan of the party idea. You know how he is. Go talk to him? Please? He’ll be reasonable with you. Last door on the left.”

Not for the first time, Stiles questioned how he found himself in situations like these. But he knew that, like Erica and Lydia, ‘no’ didn’t exist in Laura’s vocabulary. Still he looked doubtfully at the staircase. Laura rolled her eyes as she cocked her hip, crossing her arms in the process. Everything about the pose screamed,  ‘ _ I’m waiting.’  _

Stiles made a face at her before heading up the stairs and towards Derek’s bedroom. He stood outside for a moment before knocking hesitantly on the door. When he didn’t get an answer, Stiles pushed the door open and prayed Derek wouldn’t get mad about it. 

Derek didn’t acknowledge Stiles’ presence. He just stayed exactly where he was; laying flat on his back, legs dangling over the end of the bed, and his arm draped over his face. Stiles stood awkwardly in the doorway before shutting the door behind him. 

Stiles cleared his throat before saying, “Hey anti-birthday boy.”

Stiles couldn’t help but grin when he noticed Derek’s body slightly shaking with laughter.

“ You aren’t nearly as funny as you think you are,” Derek told him. 

“ Is that why you laughed?” Stiles retorted. 

“ Oh shut up,” Derek grumbled as his body stilled. 

That only made Stiles laugh even more. But then he remembered he had a reason in coming up here and instantly sobered.

“ So….you wanna tell me what that was about downstairs? If it’s that big of a deal I can tell Laura no. It’s not like I wanted the party in the first place.” 

Derek sighed and shook his head under his arm. 

“ I don’t care if she throws you a birthday party Stiles. She’s just had me up since five asking me question after question; ‘what would be a good time?’ ‘is Stiles dating anyone?’ ‘do you know if Stiles likes to dance?’ ‘what’s Stiles’ favorite cake and ice cream?’ ‘what should I get him as a gift? Derek you better get him a gift or so help me…’ and I kept telling her I didn’t know but she wouldn’t take that as an answer and I just snapped.” 

“ Okay,” Stiles started as he walked over to the bed, sitting down beside Derek. “So you’re just sleep deprived and over-exposed to Laura?”

Derek chuckled before nodding, finally moving his arm to look at Stiles. Stiles grinned down at him, glad that he was getting somewhere.

“ Well then, why don’t you take a nap and I’ll go talk with Laura. I can tell her that anytime after noon would be a good time because Dad will want to spend the morning together. I usually do something with my friends but I’ll just have Laura invite them to the party. I am not dating anyone and if she even thinks about setting me up with someone I will cancel the party. I do enjoy dancing though my dancing is better described as flailing around. I’m not picky about cake or ice cream. And gifts are totally unnecessary so you and Laura don’t have to worry about that.” 

Derek just stared at him silently before rolling his eyes.

“ As if I wouldn’t get my best friend a birthday present,” he grumbled. 

Then he froze, as if realizing what he had just said and threw his arm back over his face with a groan.

“ I’m your best friend?” Stiles asked smugly.

“ You can wipe that cheeky little grin off your face right now,” Derek growled.

“ What cheeky little grin?” Stiles asked innocently. 

“ God, I can practically hear it! Just go away you idiot,” Derek told him.

Stiles shook his head, thoroughly enjoying this. 

“ Now, is that any way to talk to your  _ best friend _ ?” 

“ I revoke the statement and I hate you.”

“ Oh no you don’t,  _ best friend _ ,” Stiles told him, the amusement evident in his voice. 

Derek just emitted a growl before the room filled with silence. Stiles laughed quietly at Derek’s behavior before allowing himself to observe his friends room. 

He knew Derek had a thing for books and that he had accumulated a fair amount since moving back to Beacon Hills but it still amazed him that nearly every surface, every corner was filled with books. Hardbacks, paperbacks, multiple copies with different covers, some looked practically brand new while others looked a touch away from falling apart. 

He took in a deep breath and sighed in content. It smelled heavenly. A million times better than the bookstore. Probably because there was something extra, something that was all Derek. 

“ What?” Derek asked quietly. 

“ Oh nothing. Just, your room smells good. You know, like books. That distinct smell that clings to the pages. It’s great.” 

Silence.

Then, “You like the smell of books?” 

Stiles nodded eagerly.

“ Oh yea. It’s the best part of books, don’t you think?” 

“ No,” Derek argued after a moment, making Stiles frown. “The best part about books? The best part is the escape.”

Stiles whipped his head around to look at Derek. Nothing was different, he hadn’t changed position or moved his arm and yet, suddenly he looked small and vulnerable. Stiles bit at his lip.

“ What are you escaping from?” he asked hesitantly. 

“ Everything,” Derek whispered so quietly Stiles almost didn’t hear him. 

Stiles felt like that was probably the cue for him to leave but then his eyes fell on a book sitting on Derek’s nightstand and he grinned.

“ Well, I think I know the perfect place for you to escape to then,” Stiles told him cryptically. 

“ Yea? And where’s that?” Derek asked with a skeptical tone. 

“ Hogwarts! Ta-da,” he said as he pulled the book out of his hoodie pocket and tilted it back and forth. 

Derek moved his arm so he could see what Stiles was talking about before letting out a bark of laughter and rolling his eyes. 

“ What makes you think I liked the book?”

Stiles pouted, though he wasn’t deterred.

“Well you finished it didn’t you? _And_ you told Laura to tell me to bring the second one so obviously you’re hooked.” 

“ I can’t start a series and not finish it,” Derek explained as he took the book out of Stiles’ hand. “Thanks. I really did like it.”

Stiles grinned, feeling triumphant. 

“ I knew you would. We’ll have to watch the movies when you finish the series.” 

“ Yea, I’d like that,” Derek told him as he read the synopsis on the back of the book before looking at Stiles. “Read to me?” 

Stiles stared at him blankly, sure he had misunderstood. 

“ W-What?” he finally spluttered. 

Derek seemed to flush though Stiles couldn’t be sure.

“ Or don’t. It’s no big deal,” Derek told him hurriedly. 

“No! I don’t mind. Just took me by surprise that you’re actually _asking_ to hear me chatter on for a while is all.” 

Derek scoffed.

“I’ve told you. I don’t _mind_ your chattering Stiles.” 

“ You’d be the first,” Stiles mumbled before nodding. “Just let me get comfortable real quick.” 

Stiles sprawled out on his side beside Derek, propping himself up on his elbow before opening the book. He cleared his throat to start reading and then hesitated, suddenly feeling self conscious.

“ Are you sure about this?” he asked. 

“ Stiles. Just read,” Derek told him before turning onto his side as well and closing his eyes to listen.

“ R-Right,” Stiles said, tearing his eyes away from Derek’s face and back to the page.

“ _ 'Not for the first time, an argument had broken out over breakfast at number four, Privet Drive. Mr. Vernon Dursley had been woken in the early hours of the morning by-'“ _

“ Slower,” Derek breathed, grabbing Stiles’ attention. 

“ Oh. Sorry,” Stiles told him before letting his eyes flick back down to the page. 

So he started over. Reading at a normal pace, taking care not to skip or slur any words. He assumed he was doing a good job because Derek didn’t interrupt him again. Derek lay there, listening so still and silent that Stiles thought he had fallen asleep. He wouldn’t be surprised; Derek had said he’d been up since five. 

Stiles felt pretty tired himself, but he forced himself to keep reading if that’s what Derek wanted. He was thankful that they were close enough that Stiles didn’t need to try to project his voice to be heard. The less effort the better. 

Eventually, the pair dozed off in the middle of Harry arriving at the burrow. 

~*~

“ You two are just too adorable for words.” 

A bright flash lit up the inside of Stiles’ eyelids as Laura’s fond tone made its way into his ears. The mixture of the two dragged him out of his nap. He curled in on himself and slowly opened one eye to see Laura typing away on her phone before turning to leave the room. 

“ She is the bane of my existence,” Derek grumbled sleepily from beside him. 

Stiles laughed quietly as he stretched out before looking over at Derek.

“ You don’t mean that.” 

Derek mumbled something under his breath before opening his eyes. He blinked a few times as he took in Stiles before his eyes widened…in shock? Confusion? Stiles couldn’t be sure. Derek pushed himself off of the bed quickly and left the room to close himself in the bathroom across the hall for a few minutes. 

Stiles pushed himself up on his elbows in concern when Derek walked back in the room.

“ You okay?” Stiles asked. 

“ Yea,” Derek told him gruffly. “Naps just disorient me. What’d Laura want?” 

Stiles nodded, accepting Derek’s explanation before holding up his phone.

“ Laura took a picture of us sleeping. It’s probably all over the internet by now.” 

Derek sighed as he knocked his head back against the wall, dragging his hand down his face.

“ Yea. Sorry about that. She’s…you know how Laura is. You tell her to stop and she’ll do it even more to spite you. She either doesn’t realize or care that she’s being annoying.”

Stiles shrugged.

“ It doesn’t really bother me Derek. Trust me. There are worse pictures out there of me and my friends. But if it bothers you, I can stop coming around so much. We can just meet up at the store,” Stiles suggested. 

Derek sighed again, heavier this time, and shook his head.

“ That’s not what I meant Stiles. I just don’t want Laura to make you feel uncomfortable. We like having you around. Besides,” Derek said with a weak smile, “you’ve got a party to help plan.” 

Stiles frowned, deflating internally. He hadn’t missed Derek’s use of we instead of I. It felt like something was wrong but he couldn’t be sure of what that was. He decided not to push it, forcing a laugh as he fell back onto the bed.

“ Actually, I think I’m just going to ask Laura to have my friends over that night. She can decorate and have cake and everything, but it’ll be small and quiet. I won’t have to worry about you biting someone’s head off this way."

Stiles bit back a grin when he heard Derek chuckle at that.

“ You sure that’s a good idea? Laura, Erica, and Lydia? All in the same room. Possibly butting heads. Sounds terrifying.” 

Stiles let out what could only be described as a giggle, quickly slapping a hand over his mouth to stifle it. He glanced over at Derek who looked like he was fighting back laughter as well. Stiles dropped his hand and smiled at him.

“Yea, but I’m not really a fan of parties. Doesn’t seem you are either. Besides I’ve had to deal with all of Lydia’s crazy parties for _everyone_ the past five years. Something small and quiet will be a relief. Allison and Lydia will probably insist on helping so it’ll save us a lot of work.”

Derek rolled his eyes.

“ You just don’t want to help. Fine. Give her their numbers but I’m holding you responsible for the consequences.”

Stiles laughed and crossed his heart before throwing Derek a wink and heading downstairs to put Laura in touch with his friends. 

~*~ 

“ Don’t get confident McCall,” Stiles warned. “You’re going down!” 

“ You wish,” Scott countered, focused on the screen. 

“ Are they always like this?” Derek asked Allison quietly, briefly looking up from the book in his hands to look at the brunette.

Ever since Laura and the girls had started planning Stiles’ birthday night, the house hadn’t been quiet. Derek had taken to shutting himself in his room but this morning Laura blasted the stereo to narrow down the music selection. 

Derek gritted his teeth before shutting his book and throwing on his leather jacket. He stomped down the stairs and curtly told Laura he was going to the bookstore only for Lydia to smugly say that Stiles was spending the day with Scott and Allison. He told her he wasn’t going to see Stiles but she just rolled her eyes and wrote down Scott’s address before shoving it in his hand.

Which brought him here; lounging in Scott’s bedroom as he and Stiles tried beating each other at just about every game Scott owned. 

Allison laughed and nodded.

“ Oh yea. They’re idiots,” she said fondly. “The both of them.”

“ Hey!” the pair shouted indignantly, making Derek roll his eyes and Allison shake with quiet laughter. 

Allison crawled down to the foot of the bed and placed a kiss on Scott’s neck to appease him. Scott momentarily froze, giving Stiles the opportunity to speed ahead of him and win the race. Stiles dropped the controller and threw his hands up, whooping in victory.

“ Told you you were going down!” he threw in Scott’s face with a smug grin.

Scott pouted and gently shoved him away.

“ No fair! She distracted me!”

Stiles just laughed it off while Allison gave Scott a light hit to the back of the head. Scott threw her an apologetic smile before turning back to Stiles.

“ You would’ve gotten distracted too if Derek or someone had kissed you on the neck,” Scott pointed out.

Derek groaned, unsure how he had gotten dragged into the conversation. Stiles sobered, suddenly serious. His eyes flicked over to Derek before focusing back on Scott

“ Well yea but Derek, or someone, has no reason to kiss my neck. It’s not my fault you can’t control your hormones buddy.” 

Scott opened his mouth to retaliate but Allison cut him off with a kiss to the forehead.

“ Come on boys. It’s just a game,” she told them with a slight warning in her voice. 

Stiles and Scott glared at each other a moment longer before they both broke out into wide grins. They jumped at each other, wrestling around for a few minutes, before Stiles perked up and looked at Derek.

“ Hey Derek. Wanna play a match?” 

His only response was a gruff grunt that could only be taken as a no. Stiles chuckled, unperturbed. 

“ Oh come on big guy. Afraid of losing?” he goaded. 

Derek let out a frustrated sigh before looking up to scowl at Stiles.

“ No Stiles. I just don’t want to play.” 

Stiles tapped his fingers against his cheek as he thought.

“ What if we made a bet?”

“ Bets are stupid,” Derek responded without a moment of consideration. 

“ If I win,” Stiles went on as if Derek hadn’t said anything, “you have to sing happy birthday to me on Friday. Not while everyone else does it either. By yourself. Before or after. While wearing a party hat,” he told him with a mischievous grin. 

“ Like I said. Stupid. There’s no way in hell I’d ever do that.” 

Once again Stiles ignored him. 

“ And if by some miraculous chance you win, I will buy you…three books. Whatever books you want. Whenever you want. Regardless of price. But I will cap it out at three cause I’m a broke college kid barely making minimum wage.”

Derek rolled his eyes and said, “I’m not taking your money Stiles,” before he went back to reading his book. Stiles pouted and fell flat onto Scott’s bed.

“ Come on Derek! Please? Pleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepl-“

Derek gritted his teeth and attempted to ignore his annoying friend but Stiles. Wouldn’t. Shut. Up.

“ Oh my god, fine!” Derek growled as he snatched up a controller. “Just start the damn game Stiles!” 

Stiles threw a triumphant fist into the air before turning back to his controller. 

Stiles was overly confident that he would beat Derek with little effort when he started the game. The man didn’t know about Facebook and didn’t even own a cell phone for Christ’s sake. There was no way he could beat Stiles at a video game. Video games were Stiles’ life. But then halfway through the race Derek took the lead, making Stiles’ cocky smile fade into a concentrated frown as he attempted, and failed, to take back the lead. 

As Derek flew over the finish line, Stiles threw down his controller.

“ What the hell was that?!” he demanded in shock.

He looked over at Derek with disbelief. Derek, who was wearing the smuggest look Stiles thought he had ever seen. On Derek at least. 

Derek just shrugged in response.

“ Three books right? That was the bet?” 

Stiles looked at him incredulously, his mouth opening and closing as he searched for something to say. 

“ Wh-Ho-No way! Something must have gone wrong with my controller! I demand a rematch!”

Derek rolled his eyes as Stiles set it up for them to race again while Scott and Allison were laughing at Stiles’ reaction.

“ Aw come on bro. Don’t be a sore loser. Derek won. Enough video games for the day,” Scott suggested as he got up to stretch.

Allison agreed as she grabbed her purse and jacket.

“ Yea, let’s go to the mall. Then we can go to the park and walk around the lake. It’s too nice a day to be cooped up inside.” 

Stiles glared at the two, deeming them traitors, before sighing in defeat and turning the console off.

“ Yea, sounds great guys.”

Stiles hopped up and threw on his hoodie before turning to grin at Derek who looked momentarily lost.

“ You coming, big guy?” 

Derek stared at him for a moment before standing slowly and grabbing his book off of Scott’s desk.

“ Can I?”

Scott let out a quiet laugh at the question.

“ Dude, you have to! I’d rather Stiles not mope the rest of the day.”

Derek had to fight back a grin when Stiles let out an indignant noise and rounded on Scott.

“ I would not mope! Derek can do whatever he wants,” Stiles corrected before turning back to Derek, looking slightly embarrassed. “But yea, it’d be totally cool if you came along.” 

Scott and Allison rolled their eyes fondly at Stiles’ behavior as they left the room hand in hand, leaving Derek to chuckle softly before ruffling Stiles’ hair as he left the room.

“ Come on then,” he threw over his shoulder. 

Stiles stood there for another moment with a goofy smile plastered on his face before running after his friends, not wanting to miss a moment with Derek in such a good mood. 

~*~

“ Aw Allison, do I have to?” Scott whined as she started to drag him towards Macy’s.

She just smiled sweetly at him before giving him a kiss, putting a stop to any future complaints from Scott. Stiles snorted at how easily his best friend was won over. He stared after the couple for another moment before turning to look at Derek. 

“ I have a feeling shopping isn’t really your thing. Anywhere you want to-“

But before Stiles could finish his question, Derek was heading towards a bookstore a few stores down. Stiles laughed quietly to himself before pouting and running up to Derek.

“ Really? You’re gonna make me pay up now? What happened to bet’s being stupid?” 

Derek just shot him an enigmatic look before heading inside to browse. Stiles sighed and trailed after him. He was in need of a new book anyways. 

“ Fine. Pick out your books, big guy,” Stiles told him as he started to peruse the shelves. “But it’s your fault if I can’t afford a birthday gift for you in the fut-Hey, when is your birthday anyways?” Stiles asked as he plucked a book off a shelf to read the synopsis. 

Derek didn’t answer at first. Too busy flipping through a book before tucking it under his arm. 

“ Christmas,” Derek finally said before picking up another book.

Stiles frowned as he put a book back to pick up another.

“ Like around Christmas? Or your birthday is in fact on Christmas day?”

“ Christmas day,” Derek responded absentmindedly. 

“ Man that’s gotta suck. I know it’s not all about the presents and all but your birthday probably got overlooked a lot growing up, didn’t it?” Stiles asked, hoping he wasn’t prying too much.

As usual, Derek tensed up when anything related to his childhood was brought up. Stiles was about to drop it and apologize but then Derek seemed to relax.

“ Not really. My mom would have us celebrate Christmas on Christmas Eve and then throw me a party on Christmas day. But…I don’t really like to celebrate my birthday anymore. It’s just too…painful.”

Derek trailed off, that same far off look on his face that Laura had worn when she told Stiles about the fire. 

Stiles bit his lip, feeling bad for bringing it up in the first place. Derek had been in such a good mood earlier and now Stiles had gone and ruined it. He brought his hand up, hesitated for a moment, before placing it on Derek’s arm.

Derek glanced down at Stiles’ hand before looking up at him questioningly. 

“ Hey, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked. A-Are you okay?” 

Derek didn’t answer. He just leaned against the bookshelf and looked at Stiles curiously for a few moments.

“ What do you want for your birthday?” he finally asked. 

Caught off guard by the sudden subject change, Stiles could only blink in surprise as he brought his hand back to rub at his neck.

“ What do I want? I honestly couldn’t tell you. I can’t think of anything I really want or need. Anything Batman or Marvel related is usually a winner.”

Derek nodded but it didn’t really help. He didn’t just want to get Stiles a _good_ gift. He wanted to get him the _best_ gift. He just didn’t know how to go about doing that when he’d only known Stiles for close to a month. Whereas Stiles’ friends probably wouldn’t have to think about what to get him as a gift. They would just _know_. 

Derek spent a few more minutes browsing before deciding he was ready to check out. He glanced at the book in Stiles’ hand as they made their way into line.

“ Is that all you're getting?” 

Stiles then took Derek by surprise and glared at him.

“ Well yea. Seeing as how I have to buy your books as well. Can’t believe you were hiding secret video game powers from me…” Stiles muttered. 

Derek just snorted.

“ I told you. I’m not taking your money Stiles.” 

The line moved as Stiles turned to gape at him.

“ Wha-But you beat me. That was the bet. You win and I buy you books.”

“ And I told you. I think bets are stupid. ” 

“ No. Saying no to free books is stupid.”

“ Stiles,” Derek said with a glare.

Stiles just glared right on back before sighing in defeat. 

“ Oh fine. But I just want it to be known that you let me off the hook. In no way, shape, or form did I back out.” 

“ Next,” the cashier called.

And as Stiles walked backwards, he stuck his tongue out at Derek before turning to face the cashier. Stiles’ antics forced an unexpected laugh out of Derek, making Stiles look at him with a pleased smile.

~*~

Once they were able to drag Allison away from the archery section in the sporting goods store, they made their way over to the park to walk around the lake. 

“ I think I’ll go back and get that bow soon. I’ve wanted to get a new one for a while,” Allison mused aloud as they walked. 

She then turned to Stiles and waggled her eyebrows.

“ You sure you don’t want another lesson Stiles?” 

Stiles balked and flushed before playfully shoving Allison away. 

“ Oh shush you! It was an accident! I almost shoot Jackson in the face one time and everyone acts like I’m a horrible shot…” Stiles grumbled.

Derek’s eyebrow rose up in surprise at this piece of information. He then thought of Stiles and Jackson’s relationship and smirked.

“ Are you sure it was an accident?” he teased. 

Stiles stopped and gaped at him before groaning.

“ No! Not you too! You’ve just met them and they’ve already converted you against me!”

Derek had to fight back a smile at Stiles’ reaction. Scott and Allison broke out in laughter before the brunette placed an apologetic kiss on Stiles’ cheek. She then ran up behind Scott and jumped onto Scott’s back. He nearly fell face first in surprise, but he managed to maintain his balance and hike her up securely on his back. 

Stiles smiled after his friends fondly before glancing quickly at Derek with a mischievous grin. It wasn’t hard to guess what he had in mind and Derek’s face fell into a scowl.

“ Don’t even think about it. If you jump on my back I will not hesitate to dump you into the lake.” 

Stiles’ grin morphed into a full blown pout. 

“ What? Is that any way to treat the birthday boy?” he asked indignantly. 

“ It’s not your birthday for another two days. And I’d still say no even if it was your birthday.” 

Stiles’ mouth dropped open in astonishment.

“ That’s totally not fair though! You, Derek Hale, are the worst! I hate you,” Stiles said as he crossed his arms in a pout.

Derek would’ve felt alarmed if it weren’t for the teasing glint in Stiles’ eyes. So he just refused to dignify his friend with a response as Scott came walking back up to them with Allison still in tow. 

“ Why do you hate Derek?” Scott asked innocently, not concerned in the slightest that something might actually be wrong. 

“ He refuses to give me a piggyback ride!” Stiles wailed as he pointed an accusing finger at Derek. 

Allison giggled as she clung tighter to Scott, planting a kiss on his neck before sliding back to the ground. Scott laughed and kissed her full on the mouth before putting his back to Stiles and crouching down.

“ Come on buddy. I’ll give you one.” 

Stiles immediately brightened before turning a smug look on Derek as if he were missing out before hopping on. Allison took Stiles’ place next to Derek as Scott ran ahead and then proceeded to try to buck Stiles off.

Stiles and Scott were roaring with laughter the entire time. Derek didn’t understand why it was so amusing but Allison was giggling as she watched them fondly so he figured there was something fun about it. 

Allison then turned a kind smile on Derek and took him by surprise.

“ I’m glad you’re here, you know. Usually Stiles would be feeling like the third wheel by now. I don’t mean to take up so much of Scott’s time but I just love to be with him, you know? But it does make me feel bad even if I’m not trying to take him away from Stiles. Just…Well anyways, I’m glad you’re Stiles’ friend. I think you’re good for him. He hasn’t seemed this happy in a while. It makes me happy to see him happy. And I know it makes Scott happy too.”

Then her kind smile morphed into something harder.

“ But if you hurt him again, you will have more than Erica to deal with. Fair warning.”

She shared a saccharine smile with him before heading towards Scott and Stiles who were now rolling around on the ground trying to pin each other. Allison was trying to break the boys’ scuffle up but then Scott pulled her down on top of him, eliciting laughs from all three of them. 

Derek swallowed nervously as he thought over Allison’s words. He had a feeling there were more threats to come the more he spent time with Stiles. But then the boy in question turned to smile brightly at him and Derek didn’t care. It’d be worth it if it meant he got to keep Stiles in his life. 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, for the sake of this fic, Stiles' birthday is in June. I know it was confirmed to be in April but when I originally wrote this it either hand't been confirmed yet, I didn't know it had been confirmed OR I just didn't care enough to look it up. Besides, canon? Who cares about canon? Screw canon.
> 
> The next chapter will be up on September 4th. See you then!
> 
> Hope you are enjoying!
> 
> Come say hi and hang out:
> 
> https://1gurgi1.tumblr.com/


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Teen Wolf belongs To MTV and Jeff Davis

It was Stiles’ birthday. One might think that he would have woken up with a huge smile and jumped out of bed in sheer excitement, but that just wasn’t the case. 

After Stiles managed to blink the sleep out of his eyes, he stared at the ceiling before he rolled over and allowed himself a good cry. 

He missed his mom every moment of every day, but the memory of her on his birthday was especially painful. 

Stiles remembered how she would sneak into his room at midnight and quietly sing him happy birthday so as not to wake his dad. And she would always have a cupcake for them to split before she kissed his forehead and headed back to bed. 

Even when she was sick in the hospital she managed to get a muffin from the cafeteria because even though she was dying she insisted that Stiles be the focus of attention on his birthday. God Stiles missed her. 

After a while, Stiles was ready to face the day. He showered and got dressed before heading downstairs to find his dad standing in the dining room with a party hat on and a noise maker in his mouth. When the sheriff caught sight of his son, he blew hard on the noise maker before drawing Stiles into a tight hug.

“ Happy birthday son.” 

Stiles laughed as he hugged his dad back before grabbing for a party hat and placing it on his own head.

“ Thanks dad. The diner for breakfast?” Stiles asked, though he already knew the answer. 

They always went to the diner on their birthdays.

“ You know it son. Who’s coming with?” 

Stiles worried at his lip as he thought it over. Usually Scott would tag along, sometimes with his mom, and last year he had invited Lydia and Erica. This year however, Stiles had something different in mind.

“ Uh-About that. Would you mind if Laura and Derek came along?” 

His dad got that suspicious look in his eyes whenever Derek was brought up so Stiles cut him off before he got the wrong idea. 

“He’s my friend, dad. They both are. Really good friends. I’ve been spending a lot of time with them. Especially Derek. _But not for the reason you think_. And I just thought it’d be nice for you to meet them. Don’t forget that they are nice enough to throw me a birthday party tonight. Well, that’s mostly Laura’s doing. Derek’s not exactly a party person. Well, he’s not a _person_ person either but he’s kind of awesome. In a _broody-scowl-at-everything-in-my-presence kind of-“_

“ Stiles, breathe! Your friends are more than welcome to come to breakfast. I’d like to know who’s been occupying so much of my son’s time. Tell them to meet us there at nine, okay?” 

Stiles nodded in agreement as his dad grabbed his coffee and headed into the living room before grabbing his phone in excitement and calling Laura. 

“ Happy birthday!” she yelled into the phone as she picked up. 

Stiles laughed as he poured himself some coffee.

“ Good morning to you too Laura. And thanks.”

“ No problem. So what are your plans this morning?” 

Stiles added some cream and sugar and took a sip before answering.

“ Actually, that’s why I’m calling.”

“ Oh?” she asked.

Stiles heard a faint grunt which he assumed was Derek.

“ Yea, umm, is Derek awake?” 

“ Yepp.”

“ Like, functionally and it is safe to socialize awake? Or grumpy and scowls at babies, still in the process of waking up awake?” 

Laura hummed as she thought it over.

“ I’m going to say a happy medium at the moment. Why, what’s up?” 

“ Put him on speaker,” Stiles told her by way of answer. 

There was a moment of silence.

Then, “I don’t scowl at babies Stiles.”

He heard a soft _thump_ and then a grunt over the line before Laura softly ordered Derek to, “Say it!”

“ And uh, happy birthday.” 

Stiles barked out a laugh and then smiled softly.

“ If you say so big guy. And thanks.” 

There was a stretch of silence over the line before Derek cleared his throat.

“ Is there a reason you wanted me on speaker?” 

Stiles’ goofy smile faded from his face as he remembered why he was calling.

“ Oh right! So, every year on my birthday my dad takes me to the diner for breakfast. You know the one I was a creepy stalker in?” And then Stiles mentally hit himself because  _ stupid _ , it was the only freaking diner in town. “Um, anyways I was wondering if you guys wanted to come with? My dad wants to meet you and it can kind of be a pre-thank you for the party…” 

Stiles trailed off to prevent any more word vomit spewing from his mouth as he waited for their answer. 

“You don’t need to thank us for the party Stiles,” Laura told him. “It’s our pleasure. But I for one would _love_ to come to breakfast with you. Derek?” she prompted. 

Derek didn’t answer at first until another _thump_ sounded over the line.

“ Dammit Laura…” he grumbled before saying, “Sure Stiles. What time?”

Stiles bit his lip to stifle his laughter before answering.

“ Nine. My dad said to meet us there by nine. So, I guess I’ll see you guys then. Bye.” 

There was another  _ thump  _ that prompted Derek to say bye and then Laura told him bye with her usual kissing noise before the line went dead. Stiles stared at his phone with a goofy smile before heading into the living room to tell his dad they were coming; a happy skip entering his step.

~*~

Stiles’ leg was bouncing up and down erratically as he and his father waited for Laura and Derek to show up at the diner. 

“ We got here too early…” Stiles grumbled as he started drumming his fingers on the table at 8:58. 

“ Son, would you settle down? It’s not even nine yet. I’m sure they’ll be here any min-“

“ There’s the birthday boy!” 

Suddenly Laura came sweeping into the diner with a bright smile, plopping down into their booth to hug Stiles and kiss him on the cheek. Stiles broke into a huge grin and hugged her back, though he was staring avidly at the door as he waited for Derek to follow her in. 

Laura laughed and lightly hit him on the back of the head before leaning in to whisper in his ear. 

“ He’ll be here in three…two…one…”

Right on cue, Derek came strolling into the diner and Stiles’ leg bouncing came to a sudden stop. The two made eye contact and shared a shy grin, making Laura and the sheriff give each other a knowing look. Once Derek made it over to their booth, they shuffled their seating around so that Stiles and his dad were sitting across from Laura and Derek. 

“ Miss Hale, it’s nice to officially meet you. I hope you're settling in well?” Stiles’ father asked politely.

“ God dad, it's breakfast. Not a freaking business meeting. Lighten up some,” Stiles told him as Laura laughed. 

“ Call me Laura, please. And it’s great to be back in Beacon Hills. It was tough to get Derek to agree to come back with me but I’m glad he did,” Laura relayed as she looked at her brother with a fond smile. 

John shifted his attention to Derek.

“ Got something against Beacon Hills Derek?” he asked with a subtle edge.

Stiles groaned and glared at his dad before shooting an apologetic look Derek’s way.

“ Uh, no sir. It was just hard deciding to come back here. I’m really liking it here though,” he answered with a quick look at Stiles.

Stiles grinned back before their waitress swooped over to their booth to take their order.

“ Good morning sheriff. Stiles,” she greeted with a nod. “What can I get you folks?” 

They each rattled off their orders before their waitress left them with a smile and a promise of their food being out as fast as it could.

“ So Derek,” Sheriff Stilinski started, “my son talks about you a lot.” 

Stiles nearly spilled his orange juice with how fast he turned to gape at his father. Laura looked close to laughter, while both Derek and the sheriff just looked bemused.

“ Dad! No I don’t!”

“ Really Stiles? You bring him up almost every day,” the sheriff pointed out.

“ Well, yea but only because I’ll go to leave the house and you’ll ask where I’m going and I’ll say Derek’s. It’s not like I wax poetic about him or anything. Geez. Talk about poor phrasing…” 

Derek let out a quiet laugh and Stiles shot him a glare for enjoying this so much. 

“ Relax son. I just want to get to know him. I’ve known all your friends since they were practically in diapers.”

Stiles could see the logic in that, albeit reluctantly, and Derek silently letting him know it was okay made him relax. But his dad just  _ couldn’t stop with the questions _ !

“ So Derek, how old are you exactly?” 

“ Um, twenty-five sir.” 

The sheriff nodded.

“ Okay. Four years isn’t that big of a difference I suppose but it is still a noticeable age gap. Care to explain your friendship with Stiles?” 

And then Stiles almost choked on his orange juice because  _ what the hell? _

“ Oh my god! Dad! Why does it sound like you’re asking his intentions? Four years is nothing. You had close to six years on mom. Not to mention, I spend just as much time with Laura and she’s twenty-eight dad.  _ Twenty-eight _ !” 

And then Stiles swallowed nervously at the menacing glare Laura was sending his way.

“ Which is young. Very, very young. You are ridiculously young Laura. And beautiful. Stunning really.”

Her glare morphed into a saccharine smile that surprisingly didn’t make Stiles any less nervous. Derek laughed some more at Stiles, earning him another unamused glare.

“ So not funny big guy. Your sister is terrifying.” 

Derek just nodded in agreement.

“ Yea, tell me about it.”

Laura scowled at that statement and hit Derek over the shoulder. Thankfully their waitress showed up just then with a tray full of their food, putting an end to any unnecessary subjects. Or so Stiles had hoped. 

“ You never answered my question Derek,” the sheriff prompted, taking a bite of his toast. 

Derek froze, about to take a bite of his breakfast, before reaching up to scratch at his neck.

“ Dad!” Stiles hissed. “Let him eat. Please.” 

“ It's fine son. The man can talk and eat. Can’t you Derek?”

Derek forced a smile and nodded. Stiles glared before stabbing viciously at his eggs. Laura just ate in silence as she watched with calculating eyes. 

“ Honestly? I don’t know why he’s friends with me. I was sort of an ass-err jerk to him at first.”

“ Understatement,” Laura singsonged under her breath. 

“ How so?” the sheriff asked with a hardened edge.

Derek hesitated; his eyes flicking over to Stiles whose hand was making a cutting motion at his throat before sliding his hand not so smoothly into his hair with a grin when his father glanced over at him.

“ Eat your breakfast son. Derek can speak for himself.” 

“ I just wanted nothing to do with him at first. I had no interest in making friends. But Stiles kind of forced his way in –don’t give me that look, you totally did- but I’m glad he did. Point is, I probably don’t deserve a friend like Stiles but I’m glad that he is. My friend.” 

Derek wasn’t sure what else there was to say and to his surprise, when he looked over at Stiles he was giving him a disapproving look.

“ Dude,” Stiles breathed. “You think way too little of yourself. We’re gonna have to work on that.” 

A grin slowly appeared on his face before he started chuckling. Laura suddenly whipped her phone out to take a picture of the both of them before tapping wildly on the screen.

“ You two are just too freaking adorable for words. I’m documenting their friendship,” Laura explained in answer to the sheriff’s questioning gaze. 

“ Yea and the way you’re construing everything is making everyone very confused!” Stiles hissed not so quietly after looking at his phone, making Laura stick her tongue out at him. 

John raised an eyebrow at Derek who just shrugged before digging into his French toast.

“ I’ve stopped trying to make sense of their conversations.”

“ That’s probably for the best,” he responded as Stiles hissed at Laura about some picture getting nearly a hundred likes and some comments he’d like to block from his mind for eternity. 

Laura laughed and took a forkful of hash browns off of Stiles’ plate.

“ Oh that’s just how our Uncle Peter is. Lydia happens to find his comments pretty entertaining.” 

“ That’s because Lydia is fifty percent evil. Forty on a good day.” 

After Stiles was done berating Laura over her posting addiction, breakfast went by pretty smoothly. Stiles was able to relax when his dad decided he didn’t have to interrogate Derek any longer. Laura assured John that it wasn’t any trouble having Stiles over so much. Stiles’ dad insisted on paying for their meal, which earned a vehement protest from Laura but eventually she smiled and agreed.

“ Thank you for breakfast. We had a great time. Didn’t we Derek?” Laura asked with a light slap to the back of his head.

Derek turned and glared at her before reaching out with his hand.

“ Thank you, sir.” 

John smiled before dragging a surprised Derek in for a hug before hugging Laura and pecking her on the cheek.

“ It was my pleasure,” he told them before turning to Stiles. “I’m going to head over to the station for a few hours. Have fun at your party tonight. And I don’t care that you're twenty-one now. If I catch you drinking and driving I will throw you in a cell and lock away the key. Understand?”

“ Give me some credit dad!” Stiles whined. “I’m more responsible and smarter than that. Besides, I’m crashing with them tonight,” Stiles reminded him as he grabbed his overnight bag out of the cruiser. 

The sheriff raised a skeptical eyebrow at his son before ruffling his hair and heading over to his cruiser. As he unlocked the door he gave Derek’s Camaro an appraising look.

“ She yours?” 

Derek just nodded.

“ Beautiful. If I hear anything about you crashing with my son in the vehicle I will find you. With guns.” 

“ Dad!” Stiles yelled as Derek nodded quickly, his eyes slightly widened in fear.

Stiles turned to Derek with an apologetic look as his dad pulled away.

“ I’m not even sure I can adequately express how sorry I am. I’m pretty sure my dad is certifiably insane. In fact, I’m going to make an appointment to have him tested. He probably banged his head on his nightstand again. He does that a lot more than you’d think. I mean, it’s always there. The thing never moves. That could cause brain damage couldn’t it? Bludgeoning your head on-“ 

“ Stiles!” Derek interrupted with an amused tone, making Stiles’ mouth snap shut with a click.

“ It’s okay. He’s just looking out for you. Besides, it’s not the first time I’ve been threatened since hanging out with you. I’m sure there’s more to come.” 

Stiles flinched and rubbed at his neck nervously.

“ Yea…I almost forgot about Erica’s outburst.”

“ And Allison,” Derek told him with a chuckle.

“ And All-Wait what? Allison?” Stiles demanded.

“ When we were at the lake? She slipped in how I’d have more to deal with than Erica if I hurt you,” Derek told him with a shrug. 

Stiles gaped at him and floundered for something to say before settling on, “I have the worst friends!” 

“ You have the best friends,” Derek corrected. “They love you.”

“ Doesn’t mean that gets them any brownie points,” Stiles muttered as he crossed his arms.

“ Uh huh,” Derek responded as he led Stiles over to his Camaro, Laura wearing a shit eating grin as she followed them, tapping away on her phone. 

**_These two oblivious dorks are going to be the death of me! –with Stiles Stilinski and my loser of a brother_ **

Any accusing glares Stiles might have sent her way as they drove back to the house were missed as Laura was pointedly staring out the window the entire way. 

~*~ 

They had a few hours to kill until Stiles’ party started so Laura decided to clean before Lydia and Allison arrived to help decorate. Derek and Stiles said they would help but after thirty minutes of correcting them on everything they did wrong, she shooed them upstairs with a dish towel as they were doing ‘ _ more harm than good.’  _

“ I didn’t realize Laura was such a neat freak,” Stiles commented once they were up in Derek’s room. 

“ Yeah,” Derek said with a chuckle. “I feared for my life when I left a used towel on the bathroom floor last week.” 

Stiles couldn’t help but laugh at that. Derek grinned at him before he settled onto his bed with his book so after a moment of standing around awkwardly, Stiles started to peruse the books in the room. He settled on one with a cool cover and went over to sit cross legged next to Derek. 

They read in a comfortable silence for a bit until Stiles started flipping the pages in quick succession. Eventually he shut the book and tossed it onto the bed.

“ That comic book makes no sense,” he complained. 

Derek’s head quickly jerked up from his spot in his book before looking at Stiles with a confused expression.

“ I don’t own any comic books…” Derek mumbled as he reached for it.

Derek looked at the cover before hanging his head and laughing silently.

“ Okay, for one,” Derek managed once he sobered, “this is a graphic novel. Not a comic book. There is a difference. And for two, this is volume four so of course it doesn’t make any sense.” 

The next thing Stiles knew, Derek had grabbed volume one and leaned into Stiles’ space so they could read through it together. Stiles would stop occasionally and point out that something didn’t add up only to have Derek reassure him that it gets explained in a later volume. It didn’t exactly mollify Stiles but it did make him eager to continue reading even if he did mumble a few times about missing his super heroes. 

Stiles was not satisfied with the ending to say the least.

“ How can it end like that though!? That’s not even a cliff hanger! That’s a hanging off a cliff with brittle fingernails damn near the middle of a sentence ending!” 

“ Tell me about it,” Derek told him with a chuckle as he made his way over to his bookshelf. “I had to wait a few months before getting the second volume. You, however, get to read the second one right away. All of them really,” he told Stiles as he pulled out the entire series and set them on his desk.

“ Wait, what?” Stiles asked with a stunned expression.

“ You can borrow them,” Derek explained with a shrug.

“ I don’t want to ruin them,” was Stiles’ automatic response. 

“ You won’t. I trust you,” Derek assured him. 

Silence stretched between them as they stared at each other intently, the phrase hanging in the air until Laura’s voice sounded from downstairs.

“ Okay losers! You can come downstairs now!” 

They both jumped at the sound of her voice, their eyes quickly darting away from each other. Stiles shot a shy grin at Derek before heading out onto the landing.

“ You sure about that Laura?” Stiles hollered down the stairs. “Wouldn’t want to anger the wolf. Again.”

Laura appeared at the bottom of the stairs, hands on her hips and wearing an unamused scowl.

“ Just get down here Little Red. I need help moving some of the furniture around.” 

“ See?” Stiles asked with a laugh when he realized Derek was next to him. “Laura gets the wolf reference. Now come on. She needs our manly muscles.”

Derek gave Stiles a quick once over.

“ What muscles?” 

“ Rude!” Stiles shot back as he hip checked Derek before bounding down the stairs, a reluctant Derek following in his wake. 

An hour later they, meaning Derek and Stiles because Laura just stood around and ordered them to move what where, managed to clear the room so there was enough room for dancing if anyone desired to do so and made sure there was plenty of seating for when they settled down to watch movies later in the night. 

Stiles and Derek plopped down on the couch with a sigh when Laura relieved them of furniture moving duty just as someone knocked on the door. Laura broke into a smile as she glanced at her watch before rushing to answer the door.

“ Right on time!” Laura said gleefully as she took the box from the delivery guy, handing over a tip and thanking him before hurrying back to the kitchen.

“ Come check out your cake Stiles,” she called over her shoulder as she passed through the living room.

Stiles groaned in protest.

“ I don’t think my limbs will allow me to move. I am too pathetically out of shape for furniture moving. I’m just gonna stay here on the couch. In fact, I think I’ll marry the couch so I never have to move.”

“ Stiles!” Laura barked

Stiles jumped at her tone and shot an alarmed look at Derek.

“ Man she’s touchy,” Stiles said as he pushed himself and stretched to crack his back.

“ She’s a perfectionist,” Derek responded with a shrug of his shoulders. “She wants this to go perfect for you.” 

“ Why?” Stiles asked as they headed into the kitchen. “It’s not that big of a deal.” 

“ It is to her. It’s Laura. She’s a firm believer in ‘go big or go home.’” 

Stiles started to point out that he would’ve been happy with just hanging out and that Laura didn’t have to go to all this trouble but he caught sight of his cake and his jaw dropped because  _ it was huge!  _

“ That-Wow, that is an incredible amount of cake. I mean, pretty sure there’s only eleven people right? And yea, me and my friends can pack away a lot of food but still that exceeds the amount of cake necessary to satisfy even our sweet tooth’s.”

Laura just shrugged as she walked over to a bag on the counter and pulled out her camera.

“ More than enough cake is better than not enough cake in my opinion. Besides, I’m sure everyone will be a fan of taking some extra cake home. Derek said you weren’t really picky about flavors so I just had them split it into white, chocolate, and red velvet. And I went with a basic buttercream frosting and then cream cheese frosting for the red velvet portion. Come over here and tilt it up so I can take some pictures?” 

Stiles just shrugged, figuring there was no point in arguing with Laura’s logic. He started to walk over to help Laura, only to have Derek’s hand land on his shoulder and drag him back.

“ I’ll do it,” Derek said with a meaningful, and Stiles thought, judgmental look.

“ And why is that?” Stiles asked with huff.

“ Because,” Derek started as he tilted the cake up to a good angle for pictures, “you can barely walk across a flat surface without flailing and tripping and the last thing we need is for the cake to land on the floor.” 

Stiles just stuck his tongue out at Derek’s smug look. The probability of Stiles dropping the cake was low. Very…low. Okay, so maybe it was for the best that Derek had helped instead of Stiles but that didn’t mean he would acknowledge it. He had to keep his ego nice and boosted. 

Lydia and Allison arrived shortly after the cake did and once again Stiles and Derek were shooed out of their way as they began to decorate because the boys were unanimously decided to be of the unhelpful variety. 

As the girls’ decorative eyes placed everything just so, Derek and Stiles were in the kitchen pouring snacks into bowls and setting out drinks which was a mind numbing task so they ended up just hopping up onto the counters until they were allowed access to the living room again. 

“ This isn’t going to be crazy or anything is it?” Derek asked as he waved his hand in the direction of the living room. 

Stiles chuckled before sipping at his soda.

“ No? I mean it’s my friends so who knows what could happen but honestly it’s probably going to be just like that night at Lydia’s just the attention will slightly be focused on me more so than usual,” Stiles told him with a shrug. 

Derek nodded, taking a sip of his drink as well and letting them slip into a companionable silence.

Shortly after, the rest of Stiles’ friends started to arrive. Stiles was all smiles and enjoying himself, hugging all of his friends and joking around with them. And then Stiles’ face was devoid of all humor because –

“ Lydia no.”

“ Stiles,” she said simply, communicating that there was no negotiation to be had and that she would be getting her way.

“I am not wearing a crown! I refuse okay? I love you, but no. This is not some sweet sixteen where the birthday girl where’s a tiara because she wants to be a princess. I am twenty-one. I am a grown man. Give it to Jackson. Jackson was _born_ to wear a crown. But me? I refuse to be seen wearing-“

Stiles wore the crown. 

That didn’t mean Stiles had to enjoy wearing the crown though. He scowled for the next ten minutes after Lydia had put it on him with a smug, satisfied look as she did so. Just because there was photographic evidence of him smiling with his friends while wearing the damn thing did not mean it had grown on him. It wouldn’t hold up in a court of law. His father was a sheriff. He knew these things. 

Then the girls decided Stiles needed twenty-one kisses on the cheek and attacked him, with Scott giving him an extra sloppy and loud one for luck. When they were finished a very flustered and flushed Stiles collapsed onto the couch. 

Isaac and Danny both gave his hair a ruffle while Boyd gave him a friendly fist bump to the shoulder. Jackson grudgingly nodded at him but Stiles didn’t care. That was damn near a hug coming from Jackson. 

“ Alright,” Erica raised her voice to grab everyone’s attention, “we did Truth or Dare last time right? So how about, guilty pleasures? Anyone? Jackson, you go first,” she ordered. 

Jackson took a swig of his beer and shrugged his shoulders.

“ There is nothing I take pleasure in that I should feel guilty over. I’m awesome.” 

“ Really Jackson? You take pride in how many hours you spend flexing in front of the mirror?”

“ Shut it Stilinski! I need to stay in shape. I’ve got a sports scholarship to keep. How about all the porn you watch though? Any shame there?” 

“ Hey! I’ve perfected my porn watching habits to the point where it should be considered an art thank you very much.” 

Surprisingly no one noticed Derek spluttering over his drink at that piece of information. Well except for Laura. Laura saw all. 

Boyd confessed how he loved to knit and bake. Erica admitted to dancing around in just her underwear and singing while she got ready in the mornings, which didn’t come as a surprise to anyone really. Danny used a face mask every other night which resulted in Jackson laughing harder than necessary and Lydia and Allison giving him some recommendations. Isaac came clean about his love of any Taylor Swift song. Scott said he loved sitting with every puppy and kitten before getting off of work, but really he was an overgrown puppy himself so no surprise there.

Derek, surprisingly, was enjoying himself. He laughed and smiled, liking that he was learning about these people who were slowly becoming his friends. But at the same time not really participating in the conversation because he didn’t feel comfortable letting his personal secrets be known. And then, in front of his very eyes, Derek swore Laura grew horns and a tail.

“ I’ve got a good one about Derek,” she announced with a mischievous smile. 

“ Laura no!” Derek ordered at the same time that Stiles said, “Oh spill!” as he lit up with glee. 

“ Relax Derek,” Erica said as she patted his arm. “We’re all friends here. No judgment will be had.” 

“ Derek loves watching  _ Murder, She Wrote _ !” 

Derek groaned and let his head fall back against the couch. Allison hid a giggle behind her hand, Lydia just shrugged, while Jackson just laughed.

“ Hah! Isn’t that for old women?”

“ Hey! There’s nothing wrong with a good murder mystery,” Stiles said in Derek’s defense. 

“That’s not even the best part though,” Laura continued. “His favorite movie as a kid was _Beauty and the Beast_ and he would act like he was Chip because he wanted Mrs. Potts to be his mom. Angela Lansbury voiced Mrs. Potts. Hence _Murder, She Wrote_ in his adult years,” she finished with a flourish of her hand. 

“ I hate you,” Derek shot at her with no heat. 

“ Come on Derek,” Laura told him consolingly, “it’s adorable.” 

Derek just scowled at her before looking over at Stiles. Stiles who was biting at his lip to hide a smile.

“ It is kind of adorable Derek.”

“ Oh shut up,” Derek groaned. 

The group bickered and teased each other for a while longer, a majority of it light hearted and aimed at Stiles since he was the birthday boy, until Laura called them into the kitchen to assemble their pizzas. Stiles had tried to talk her into ordering pizza but Laura was adamant despite having to roll out enough dough for eleven people. 

Stiles and Derek ended up standing next to each other as they put their selected toppings on their pizzas, reminding Stiles of the first time he had eaten dinner over here. He couldn’t believe just over a month had passed since then. He ended up staring intently at Derek as he thought about how different his summer would’ve been if he hadn’t met him. 

“ What? Did I get something on my face?” Derek asked when he noticed Stiles staring. 

“ Wha? Oh! No. Nothing. Just spaced. I guess,” Stiles tried to laugh it off, failed, flushed and then hurriedly looked away. 

Derek just raised his eyebrow, feeling confused, before he grabbed his and Stiles’ pizza to throw into the oven. 

Surprisingly, a food fight didn’t break out and the kitchen wasn’t left in complete disarray by the time everyone was seated in the living room around Stiles as they ate. Stiles had protested but Lydia and Laura had insisted he be in the middle as they sang happy birthday and then watched him open his gifts. 

Stiles tried taking his crown off but immediately put it back on when Lydia threw the most menacing glare his way. So, with as much dignity as possible, Stiles placed the thing back on his head, crossed his arms and pouted the entire time his friends sang him happy birthday. Which, admittedly, was probably rude but they all found it funny and he ended up cracking a smile a few times so they knew he was happy. 

Laura was getting a little shutter happy with her camera but Stiles stopped complaining about an hour in when she pointed out that his father might want some pictures from the night. Laura found a moment to put her camera down and headed into the other room to carry Stiles’ presents in.

“ Guys,” Stiles said with a mixture of appreciation and exasperation when he saw all the boxes, “I said you didn’t have to get me anything.” 

“ Please,” Lydia said as she got up to help Laura arrange the presents, “it’s the one of the few times we’re allowed to spoil you so just shut your mouth and look grateful.” 

Stiles did just that, amused by how Lydia can make blunt and direct sound adoringly fond.

“ Guys,” Laura started with a confused tone, “none of these have gift tags?”

Erica laughed and nodded while Stiles just looked smug.

“ That’s our thing,” she explained. “We guess who gives what. Stiles is the best at it so it’s kind of pointless but we still do it.” 

Laura chuckled and made Stiles shut his eyes so she could tear the gift tag off of hers. Derek just shifted anxiously as he thought about his gift still sitting upstairs in his closet. 

“ Danny,” Stiles said confidently as he pulled the remaining wrapping paper off of the video game and started looking over the back.

Danny laughed and shook his head, making Stiles frown in confusion. He then reached for another present that was the same shape and size as the first. Stiles laughed and amended his guess.

“ Okay this one is from Danny. The first was from…Boyd?” 

Boyd nodded with a pleased smile when Stiles said he’d been thinking about getting the game for a while. He thanked them both before reaching for another gift. 

“ Isaac,” Stiles stated as he quickly flipped through the comic books he had been given. “Really guys, you’re making this way too obvious. Thanks Isaac.” 

Stiles jumped up with a yelp of excitement when he opened the concert tickets from Scott and then proceeded to tackle his best friend, he thanked Allison for the posters she had designed for him, and he scoffed at Jackson’s oil change and car wash coupon with the note saying that if he insists on driving a piece of crap at least take care of it and keep it clean. Well the joke was on Jackson because Stiles had just gotten an oil change last week. So hah! Well, it made sense in Stiles’ head. 

Stiles’ jaw dropped in shock when he opened Laura’s gift. She had gotten him the most recent Marvel Encyclopedia

“ No,” Stiles breathed before his head snapped up to look at Laura, who looked very smug. “Laura, you goddess, thank you!” 

She just waved his comment away.

“ It’s nothing Stiles. Lydia said you really liked Marvel so…Voila.” 

Then Stiles found himself opening The Dark Knight trilogy box set along with…

“ Catwoman underwear? Really Erica?”

“ What makes you think that’s from me?” she asked, fighting back a laugh.

She tried to keep a straight face, she really did, but the girl was a horrible actress.

“ One, you are the world’s worst liar. Two, you own an identical batman pair. It isn’t that hard to put two and two together.”

Derek wasn’t a fan of hearing that Stiles knew what Erica’s underwear looked like. And judging by the look on Boyd’s face neither was he.

“ Alright Lydia, hand me yours,” Stiles told her as he reached his hands out for the tiny box she handed his way. 

Stiles lifted the lid off and was…confused. The box was filled with red, white, and blue confetti. Nestled in the confetti was a jar of sand, a vial of water and some sea shells. He shot a questioning look at his friend.

“ Lydia? Care to explain?”

Lydia just rolled her eyes.

“ Do the math Stiles. It’s pretty obvious.”

By the look of all of their faces, everyone already knew what her gift was. Even Laura. So only Stiles and Derek were sitting there trying to figure it out. 

Eventually Stiles just shrugged his shoulders.

“ I give up. Just tell me.”

Lydia huffed and mumbled something about Stiles being hopeless before she deigned to clue him in.

“ I’m taking everyone to the beach for fourth of July weekend. That’s my gift. I was being creative. Now is the time you grovel at my feet with your thank yous,” she said as she leaned down to wrap her arms around Stiles’ neck and give him another kiss on the cheek. 

Stiles looked legitimately excited about the prospect of going to the beach next month with everyone. Once Lydia made it clear that Laura and Derek were coming as well he let himself feel excited too. More time with Stiles was always a bonus. 

He was not excited about having an excuse to see Stiles shirtless. He wasn’t.

Derek helped Stiles carry his presents upstairs and by the time they were back in the living room, Laura had turned on some music and everyone else had started dancing. Erica materialized out of nowhere and started to pull Stiles along by his wrist.

Derek started to follow but then decided better of it and went to sit on one of the couches they had pushed to the back of the room. Dancing wasn’t really his thing and really it was more fun to watch Stiles dance. He assumed that this was something that Stiles and Erica did regularly. They moved comfortably around each other and were both singing the words at each other. 

Eventually Boyd made his way over to Erica and Stiles made his way over to Scott and Allison. Stiles caught his eye and winked at him making Derek flush and quickly dart his eyes over to Laura who was dancing with a very flustered Isaac. When Laura’s eyes landed on Derek it was with an admonishing look. 

She patted Isaac’s shoulder before making her way over to Derek and plopping down next to him. She grabbed his drink out of his hand and chugged the rest of it.

“ You’re lurking.” 

Derek scoffed.

“ I’m not  _ lurking _ . I’m…observing. Dancing is not my thing.”

“ Uh huh,” Laura snorted. “So you’re telling me that if Stiles came over here right now and asked you to dance, you’d say no?”

“ As a matter of fact, I would,” Derek answered, making a face at her. 

“ Liar. You’re a liar and a lurker.” 

“ Come on then,” Laura told him, pushing herself off of the couch and then pulling Derek along with her against his will. 

Laura then started to dance, trying to coax Derek into dancing with her. Derek wanted no part of it at first but then he caught Stiles watching them and damn if the kid didn’t look  _ hopeful _ . Derek leaned his head back and gave a resigned sigh before accepting his fate. 

“ It’s dancing Derek, not torture!” Laura shouted over the music. “Loosen up!”

“ Yea, loosen up!” Erica repeated as she bumped her hip against his, flashing a cat-like smile his way. 

Derek tried though he wasn’t sure how he was supposed to do that and then after a while he stopped worrying about how to move and just let himself have fun for a change. He danced with Laura and Erica. Then when his sister made her way back to Isaac he danced with Erica and Danny. And then he was dancing with just Danny when Boyd came back to dance with Erica. 

Derek scanned the group for Stiles until he realized that his friend was over on the couch, a mixture of a frown and a scowl on his face. No longer interested in dancing, Derek made his way over and sat down next to Stiles.

“ Hey, you okay?” 

Stiles just gave a quick nod before taking a long sip from his drink. 

“ Looked like you were having fun,” Stiles commented.

Derek just shrugged.

“ It was alright.” 

“ Erica’s got a boyfriend!” Stiles suddenly blurted out. 

“ I know?” Derek said, a puzzled frown forming on his face.

“ Danny doesn’t though. Danny is single. Single and ready to mingle,” he said with an almost bitter tone despite talking about one of his closest friends. “With you,” he added as if the clarification was necessary. 

“ So?” Derek finally managed to say. 

“ So,” Stiles started, “-wait, what do you mean so? Are you not interested in Danny?”

“ No,” Derek scoffed. “But if I gave Danny the wrong impression it was unintentional and I guess I have to go let him down easy now.” 

“ Everyone likes Danny. Danny’s a nice guy,” Stiles uttered quietly.

“ He is a nice guy but he’s also a nice guy that I personally am not interested in.” 

Stiles just stared at him as if he was just now seeing him for the first time.

“ How are you even real?” Stiles managed to breathe out.

“ I’m not sure how I’m supposed to answer that question.” 

That made Stiles shake his head in laughter before downing the rest of his drink.

“ Your present is upstairs if you wanna open it,” Derek blurted out, taking both him and Stiles by surprise. 

“ Yea okay,” Stiles finally said after he was over his shock. 

“ You know you didn’t have to get me anything right?” Stiles told him once they were up in his room.

“ Remember what Lydia said? ‘Shut up and be grateful.’ You should do that again,” Derek told him as he brought the present down from his closet. 

“ Oh har har. You think you’re so clever do-Holy shit this is heavy!” Stiles exclaimed when he took it out of Derek’s hands. “What did you get me?” 

“ Why don’t you open it and find out, genius?” 

Stiles made a face at him before he started to tear off the wrapping paper. 

“ Laura wrapped this didn’t she? You don’t strike me as someone who would take their ti-Holy fuck. You did not.” 

Stiles was staring at the UK Harry Potter box set with the new covers and fucking hell it was beautiful. 

“ What?” Derek asked, sounding slightly alarmed. “Do you not like it? I knew it was stupid. You already have them. I just thought-“

“ Derek would you shut up?” Stiles laughed, effectively silencing the older.

“ It’s awesome. Better than awesome. It’s kind of perfect actually. Thank you.” 

Derek let out a breath of relief because Stiles liked it. And then he couldn’t breathe because holy shit  _ Stiles was hugging him _ . Derek froze, not used to hugging someone other than his family, and then awkwardly patted Stiles on the back.

“ You’re uh- You’re welcome.” 

Stiles squeezed tighter and laughed before stepping away.

“ It’s a hug Derek. Not a ninja kill move. Lighten up.”

Derek snorted.

“ What’s with you and ninjas?” 

“ Hey!” Stiles barked with an accusing finger. “Ninjas are awesome. Well unless they’re demonic ninjas. Those would probably be some scary bastards. Well just demons in general really. But I watch Supernatural. I’ve been tutored by the Winchesters. I know how to send those demonic bastards back to hell with their tails between their legs,” Stiles finished with a proud look.

“ You lost me again,” Derek told him, unsure of who or what the Winchesters were.

“ Yea that’s what I thought,” Stiles said with a sigh. “Another thing I’m gonna have to educate you on I guess.”

Derek just shook his head, assuming that rolling with whatever tangent Stiles was on was for the best. 

Stiles smirked at him before sitting cross legged on Derek’s bed to examine the box set. Derek just slid to the floor and watched Stiles.

“ Dude, I cannot wait to get these on my shelf. Look how beautiful they are! What made you get this anyways?” Stiles asked, quickly looking at Derek before he started to pull the plastic off so he could look at the books individually. 

“ You like Harry Potter,” Derek told him simply. “You seem really excited whenever we talk about it or when I told you I needed and wanted the next book. I just wanted to get you something I knew you’d like. Besides, your old copies have seen better days,” he finished with a chuckle.

“ Hey,” Stiles said defensively, “a worn book is a loved book.” 

Derek’s content expression morphed into one of surprise.

“ What?” Stiles asked.

“ Nothing. Just, my mom used to say that too,” Derek admitted quietly. 

“ She did?” Stiles asked hesitantly. 

“ Yea,” he responded, a nostalgic smile spreading over his face. 

“ Every Friday she would take me to the library. It was our weekend tradition. Just hers and mine. I was picky though. I never wanted to check out books that looked beaten up or mistreated. I wanted my books to look perfect. When she noticed that, she kneeled down in front of me and told me that a worn book is a loved book. It’s so beaten up because so many people have had the chance to read it. That day I checked out five books so close to falling apart I’m surprised the library hadn’t thrown them out already.”

Derek chuckled as he finished sharing that with Stiles, tears glistening in his eyes. 

“ Sorry,” Derek choked out as he wiped at his eyes. “I just miss her. I miss my dad. I miss how things were.” 

“ You don’t have to be sorry Derek,” Stiles told him softly, sliding off the bed to sit down next to him. “You can talk to me about them. You can talk to me about anything. Really. I’ll listen. But maybe-Maybe I’m not the one you should be talking to. Not the only one at least.”

“ Laura,” Stiles added at Derek’s questioning gaze. “You should talk to Laura.”

“ Laura doesn’t need to talk about it,” Derek told him stubbornly. “Laura’s fine.” 

“ Has she told you that?” Stiles pushed. 

“ Has she told you  _ that _ ?” Derek mimicked. “That she wants to talk about them?” 

“ No, but some things are hard to ask for Derek. She’s stubborn and proud and independent but she lost them just as much as you did. She misses them just as much as you do. You, Cora, and your uncle? You’re all she’s got left. So be there for her just like she’s always been there for you.” 

Silent tears were running down Derek’s face and Stiles felt close to tears himself. He made a mental note to sit down and talk about his mom with his dad the next chance he got. He couldn’t remember the last time they had done that. 

“ Don’t-” Derek managed when his tears started to slow, “don’t tell Laura about this okay? I’ll talk to her but she doesn’t need to know. Not now. Not tonight.” 

Stiles nodded and got up, thinking Derek needed a few minutes to himself.

“ Sure thing big guy. I’m gonna go downstairs. You’re still gonna watch movies right?” 

“ Yea, ‘course. Just need a few minutes. I’ll be right there.” 

Stiles gave him what he hoped was a reassuring smile. He only managed to get to the top of the stairs before he was suddenly grabbed.

“ Thank you,” Laura quietly cried into Stiles’ shoulder.

Those two words became a litany as she clung to Stiles, shaking with sobs as he hugged her back and tried to comfort her in whatever way he could. Stiles was glad that she had overheard him and Derek. This way they both knew to talk to each other more. Clearly Derek wasn’t the only emotionally constipated one in the family. 

“ Ugh, look at me,” she complained quietly when she pulled away and wiped at her face. “Crying all over you and on your birthday too. Pathetic.”

Stiles chuckled and kissed her on the forehead.

“ It’s fine Laura. Just, get him okay? Make sure he doesn’t sulk in his room the rest of the night.”

Laura chuckled and wiped at her face some more before bounding down a few steps. Then she loudly stomped back up them, flashing Stiles a grateful smile as he headed back downstairs. 

“ Derek Hale! If you don’t get down here for some movie bonding time I will drag you down by your teeth!”

“ Dammit Laura! Can’t a man go to the bathroom in peace?”

“ Nope. Not in this house. Now get your ass down there.” 

Stiles failed to fight back a bark of laughter. Yea, those two were going to be just fine. 

When Laura managed to drag Derek downstairs, the group was debating on which movie to put in first.

“ Who the hell brought  _ The Conjuring 2 _ ?” Stiles asked as he sorted through all the movies they had brought over.

“ I haven’t seen it yet,” Danny said defensively.

“ Neither have we,” Erica added, gesturing between her and Boyd. “Is it really scary?”

Scott shrugged, sharing a look with Stiles.

“ It was alright. A few jumpy parts. Nothing terrifying.”

“ Liars,” Jackson snorted. “I bet you two cowards nearly pissed yourselves.”

“ Says the guy that had to turn the light on halfway through,” Lydia added.

“ Lydia, you said it made you scream,” Allison reminded her with a giggle. 

Lydia shot her a glare before shrugging as she plopped down next to Jackson.

“ I wouldn’t mind rewatching it if that’s what everyone’s wondering. I’m sure the boys wouldn’t either.” 

Everyone agreed on watching the movie, though Stiles and Scott did so rather grudgingly, before everyone decided on where they wanted to sit and Laura went into the kitchen to make enough popcorn for everyone. 

“ Are you good with scary movies?” Stiles asked as they waited for Laura to come back before starting the movie.

Derek just raised an eyebrow.

“ What?” Stiles asked with a laugh. “You’ve got this whole rough exterior going on but everyone knows you’re a marshmallow.” 

That comment resulted in Derek playfully shoving Stiles onto the floor. Stiles leaned his head back to glare at Derek. 

“ I just won’t sit next to you then. Your loss,” Stiles told him, sticking his tongue out.

“ What makes you think I want you to sit next to me?” Derek shot back, bumping his leg against Stiles’ side.

“ Because my friend, I am awesome,” Stiles told him smugly as he leaned against Derek’s leg and got comfortable. 

Laura barely managed to set the popcorn down without spilling it before she grabbed for her camera to take a picture of the sight. Derek glared at her but Laura just ignored him, plopping down next to him and resting her head on his shoulder. 

Stiles didn’t think the movie would scare him the second time around. Well not much anyways. So naturally they weren’t very far into it until Stiles jumped for the first time. Stiles jumped a few more times before Derek gently nudged him to get his attention and silently asked him if he was okay. Stiles just scowled and nodded, telling himself he wouldn’t jump anymore. 

He failed.

“ Well that wasn’t that scary,” Erica commented with disappointment when it was over.

“ That’s what we told you,” Stiles responded.

“ Please,” Jackson snorted, “you were jumping more than a hyperactive squirrel.” 

“ Sympathetic jumps,” Stiles shot back. “They were sympathetic jumps.”

A round of ‘ _sure’_ and ‘ _whatever you say’_ sounded from the group. Laura leaned down to hug him with a chuckle while Stiles turned to pout up at Derek.

“ They were.” 

“ Oh I believe you,” Derek assured him with an amused grin.

Clearly he didn’t. Not for the first time Stiles found himself thinking he had the worst friends.

Between the second and the third movie everyone got up to change for bed. While Laura was upstairs changing Stiles stole her spot next to Derek, resulting in her smugly placing her feet in his lap. 

Sometime during the fifth movie, Stiles fell asleep leaning into Derek’s side. Derek glared at everyone, daring them to say anything, before eventually falling asleep himself. In a not so comfortable position. 

Stiles drooled on Derek’s shoulder. A lot. 

Neither of them spoke of it the next morning. There was no denying it had happened though. The girls had taken care of that. They had taken numerous pictures from numerous angles. They were all over Facebook by the time Derek took Stiles home. 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, for the sake of this fic, Stiles' birthday is in June. I know it was confirmed to be in April but when I originally wrote this it either hand't been confirmed yet, I didn't know it had been confirmed OR I just didn't care enough to look it up. Besides, canon? Who cares about canon? Screw canon.
> 
> The next chapter will be up on September 11th. See you then!
> 
> Hope you are enjoying!
> 
> Come say hi and hang out:
> 
> https://1gurgi1.tumblr.com/


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Teen Wolf belongs to MTV and Jeff Davis

Stiles was busy restocking some shelves in the store when he heard the bell above the store sound. Stiles peaked his head out to greet the customer only to send a big grin Derek’s way.

“ Hey big guy! How’s it going?” 

“ Good,” Derek reported. “Everything’s good.”

“ Awesome. I’ve gotta talk to you about something but I’ll be with you in just a minute alright? I’ve gotta finish-“ Stiles gestured at the stack of books he still had to put away.

“ Fine. That’s fine. I’ve gotta talk to you about something too,” Derek told him before meandering over to his usual section of the store. 

With his curiosity officially piqued, Stiles haphazardly put the rest of the books away. He'd fix it later. 

“ Alright,” Stiles started, “so it’s Saturday-and whoa you haven’t shaved,” he observed as he reached out to rub his fingers along the prominent scruff on Derek’s face. 

Derek’s eyes widened and Stiles, realizing what he had done, jerked his hand back and turned away from Derek so he wouldn’t catch his flushed face. He started for the front of the store, glad that Derek followed him without being asked.

“ Anyways, like I was saying,” Stiles tried again, emboldened now that the front desk was between him and Derek and would prevent any more urges to  _ touch _ , “it’s Saturday and I usually come over for dinner on Saturday but I can’t tonight. You remember how Scott got me concert tickets for my birthday? Well that’s tonight. So I can’t. Eat dinner. With you. Or Laura.” 

Stiles didn’t expect it to really bother Derek but he also didn’t expect him to look _relieved_ of all things. 

“ That’s actually kind of perfect,” Derek told him, making Stiles’ face fall. 

“ No! That’s not what I mean,” Derek explained hastily. “It’s just, Laura and I are going out of town early tomorrow morning and we need to make sure we’ve got everything we need and taken care of.” 

“ Oh,” Stiles responded, though it didn’t make him feel any better to hear they were leaving. 

“ Where are you going?”

“ Laura has a business trip in Dallas. She’s not excited about it by any means but she could end up getting a promotion out of it.”

Stiles relaxed when he realized they weren’t trying to get away from him or Beacon Hills.

“ That’s great! I hope she does. That’d be great for Laura. So, are you going with her then? To keep her company?” 

“ No,” Derek negated. “I’m going to New York,” he mumbled, rubbing at his neck anxiously.

“ Oh,” Stiles repeated, his face falling once again.

“ It’s not like I want to go,” Derek whispered. “Well, that’s not all true. I want to see Cora and my uncle but I don’t want to go there. You know I hated it there. Cora’s got this summer art show for school and a few of her pieces are in it and she had one ticket left. She asked Laura first since Laura is actually into art and all but then this business trip came up and so I’m going instead.” 

The way Derek explained himself almost sounded like he was imploring for Stiles to understand why he was going. As if it mattered what Stiles thought; making it a little easier for him to lie to Derek.

“ I think it’s great you’re going,” Stiles forced out, trying to sound believable. 

“ You do?” Derek asked, looking a little stung. 

“ Yea. It’ll be great for you to see Cora and Peter. You’ve gotta tell them hi for me and correct them on all the lies Laura has been spreading online,” he told him with a nervous chuckle. “Besides, it’ll be a nice break from my incessant talking, right?” 

“ I’ve told you,” Derek started exasperatedly, “I don’t mind you-“

“ Talking, I know,” Stiles interrupted him with a private grin. 

“ So, how long are you going to be gone?” Stiles eventually asked. 

“ We’ll both be gone for ten days. Laura gets back that morning. I’ll get back later in the day. I’ll be exhausted so I probably won’t be able to see you until the day after I get back,” he told Stiles apologetically. 

Stiles was barely able to stop himself from frowning. Ten days was a long time. Ten days was going to feel like an eternity. 

“ I need to go,” Derek told him after a tense silence. “I still need to pack. I just wanted to let you know we’d be gone.” 

“ Right. Have a good time,” Stiles managed with a forced smile.

Derek just nodded and gave a half-hearted wave before turning to leave. Stiles’ foot started tapping the ground incessantly as he watched Derek head out to his car. Derek was about to open his car door when Stiles pushed himself away from the front desk and ran outside.

“ Derek wait!” 

Derek turned at the sound of Stiles’ voice, ready to ask his friend what he wanted, but before he could he had a chest full of Stiles. Stiles squeezed him tight around the middle before stepping back to give Derek a stern look.

“ Dude, that was like the worst bye in the history of byes.”

“ I’m coming back,” Derek reminded him with an eye roll, making Stiles give him a genuine grin.

“ Duh. You better come back. And you better take pictures. Lots and lots of pictures. Laura too. I command it. And you two better come back in one piece.”

“ It’s only ten days Stiles.”

“ One. Piece,” Stiles emphasized, making Derek roll his eyes again before nodding in understanding. 

Stiles gave him one more tight hug, this one Derek actually returned albeit awkwardly, before he allowed Derek to get in his Camaro and drive away.

Stiles stood there and waved even after Derek was out of sight before letting out a heavy sigh and heading back inside to finish his shift. 

~*~ 

The next night, Stiles’ jeep was idling in the Hale’s driveway. He had driven there out of habit and had been sitting there staring forlornly at the house for twenty minutes. With a heavy sigh he pulled his phone out and tried calling Laura. He wanted to check in with her, see if she had landed safely and if she knew anything about Derek’s flight, but he was sent straight to voicemail. 

Stiles didn’t bother leaving a message. He didn’t think ‘ _ Hey Laura just wanted to let you know I’m sitting in your driveway and pathetically missing your brother after only twenty-four hours’  _ would go over very well.

And that was the problem. Stiles missed Derek. A lot. He had gotten so accustomed to seeing Derek two or three times a day and not having dinner with him and Laura last night had really thrown him off. 

He tried to enjoy the concert with Scott but every once in a while he would start thinking about Derek and then he would start complaining to Scott about him leaving. Scott was a great friend and didn’t say anything but Stiles could tell that Scott just wanted to tell him to shut up by the end of the night. 

Stiles was a great friend too so he held back from telling Scott he had no room to talk. Last year, Allison’s parents had taken her to France for the summer. Scott went through some serious Allison withdrawal those three and a half months and was barely tolerable to be around. He was clingy and whiny but being the great friend that he was, Stiles suffered through admirably. Scott owed him. Scott understood what it was like to miss someone you really liked. Yea, it was only going to be ten days but-

Stiles’ train of thought came to a halting stop and he sat up very quickly. He ran through everything he had been thinking until it finally hit him.

“ _ Holy shit I like Derek!”  _

And then Stiles slumped back into his seat with a groan. He had been in denial from the start. His friends had pointed it out to him constantly.  _ He was never going to live this down _ ! And then Stiles slumped even lower because once again he found himself liking someone he’d never have a chance with in any reality that made sense. 

Stiles was now sort of glad that Derek was gone. He wanted him to hurry up and get his ass back to Beacon Hills but at least now he had ten days to get his feelings in check. The last thing he wanted to do was jeopardize his friendship with Derek. 

Stiles’ phone chimed, making him jump in surprise.

**[From Lydia: What are you and your boyfriend up to today?]**

Stiles’ face flushed and he started typing furiously.

**[To Lydia: I DON’T LIKE HIM!!!!!!!!]**

**[From Lydia: Sweetheart.]**

Only Lydia could make a one worded text sound condescending. Stiles sighed and dropped his head onto his steering wheel. Why did he even try to lie to Lydia? It was an impossible feat. 

**[To Lydia: Okay. So I may have belatedly realized that I like Derek.]**

**[From Lydia: Took you long enough.]**

**[To Lydia: What do I do?]**

**[From Lydia: Oh I don’t know, tell him?]**

Stiles gaped at his phone incredulously; sure he had misread it, before calling Lydia. 

“ What do you mean  _ tell him _ ? I can’t just tell him!” Stiles yelled at her before she could even utter so much as a hello. 

“ Well hello to you to Stiles. Why the hell not? What’s the big deal?” 

Stiles spluttered unsure of how he should answer that question. There were so many reasons as to  _ why the hell not _ . 

“ Well, the obvious reason being that once again I have unrequited feelings for someone completely out of my league!” Stiles hissed. 

The line went silent for a moment as Lydia rolled her eyes at just how oblivious Stiles was.

“ Stiles, sweetie, I’m not sure where you’ve been looking the past few weeks, but Derek is just as into you as you are into him. You know I wouldn’t lie to you about that.” 

She was right. Stiles did know that. But just because Lydia thought it was true didn’t mean it was really true.

“ It’s not the same if you really don’t think you’re lying…” Stiles mumbled just loud enough so she could hear. 

“ Fine,” Lydia started with an edge, “if you won’t believe me, why don’t you call and ask Derek yourself?” 

“ Even if I wanted to, I can’t,” Stiles told her in exasperation. “He’s in New York and the idiot doesn’t have a phone.” 

“ What kind of Neanderthal doesn’t have a phone in this day and age?” she demanded incredulously.

“ He’s not a Neanderthal,” Stiles defended. 

“ You’re going to be miserable until he gets back aren’t you?” she asked with a sigh. 

“ No,” Stiles denied feebly.

“ Sure. Just do yourself a favor and talk to him when he gets back.”

“I make no promises. _If_ and only _if_ it is completely obvious that he feels the same way, I’ll tell him.”

Lydia didn’t bother pointing out that if Derek’s feelings were anymore obvious they were liable to suffocate Stiles. Details. 

“Whatever helps you sleep at night Stiles. So if you aren’t hanging out with Derek, what _are_ you up to?”

Stiles shifted uncomfortably.

“ Oh, you know, just a quiet night in. Dad’s working late again so I ordered pizza. Gonna binge watch some Supernatural. Have some Stiles time.”

The line was silent again.

“ Not like that!” Stiles protested. “I’m not going to masturbate or-“

“ Stiles,” Lydia interrupted, “I’m hanging up now. Have a fun night.”

And with a click, she was gone. 

Stiles slumped back into his seat with a sigh. Either she hadn’t bothered calling him on his bullshit lie, or he had just successfully lied to Lydia Martin. No, he didn’t lie. He told a beneficial fib. There was a difference. And he didn’t feel bad. The truth was unacceptable. Moping pathetically at home was one thing, but moping pathetically in the object of your affections driveway was a beast that Stiles was not ready to admit to. 

~*~ 

The next morning, Stiles called his boss and volunteered to work a double shift that day. His boss was shocked to say the least but after making it abundantly clear that he didn’t expect Stiles to do this, he agreed. 

After working five hours, Stiles started to regret his decision.

He had thought it was a great idea at first. He didn’t have anything to do that day and he didn’t want to waste another night moping by himself. He actually looked forward to going to work now, so why not work all day? Do something he enjoyed so he could avoid not doing anything. Except, the only reason Stiles looked forward to going to work now was on the other side of the country. With Derek being gone, the bookshop had reverted back its usual boring self. So in trying to avoid moping over Derek, he now had all day to mope over Derek. 

The next nine days were going to be hell. 

~*~ 

Stiles had about ten minutes left in his shift when Scott, Allison, and Isaac meandered into the shop. It didn’t take much for them to convince Stiles to catch a late movie with them. They waited outside for him while he clocked out and closed up before heading over to the movie theatre.

Stiles was glad to have his friends and a movie as a distraction. He wouldn’t have time to miss Derek. Derek who? They all debated on what movie to watch as they walked; they all agreed on the newest comedy that would probably end up not being very good but they couldn’t unanimously decide on anything else. 

They bought their tickets and then headed inside to concessions. They ordered two large popcorns and three drinks; Danny gave them a slight discount and said he’d meet them inside during his break. Stiles was intrigued. He’d gladly work here if he could freely pop into the movies during his breaks. Then he frowned. If he hadn’t been working at the bookshop he wouldn’t have met Derek. Then he shook his head and banned any more thoughts of Derek for the rest of the night. 

Once they were in the theater and had found their seats, Stiles started to get excited. This was one of his favorite things to do. Seeing a movie with his friends. Or by himself even. He loved the smells, the food, the previews, a group of strangers coming together to enjoy a film. What wasn’t there to enjoy? 

But after a few trailers that didn’t really capture his interest, Stiles’ thoughts drifted to the last time he was here. With Derek. And then when the next trailer started to play, Stiles found himself wondering if he could talk Derek into seeing it with him. 

Stiles could barely concentrate when the movie started playing. There were funny moments but nothing that was able to hold his attention. He just couldn’t stop thinking about Derek which was starting to irritate him a little. He’d never thought about Derek this much before. Had he? Then again, he had been spending a majority of his free time with Derek since they had become friends. 

By the end of the movie, Stiles was ready to yell at Derek for putting him through this. Though, that would lead to Stiles having to explain _why_ he was so irritated with Derek in the first place and that just wasn’t an option in Stiles’ book. Not yet at least. 

Scott and Isaac were laughing and making fun of the movie as they walked back to the bookshop. Stiles was unusually silent and walking a few steps behind them, hunched over with his hands in his pockets. When Allison noticed this she gave him a soft smile and slowed down, threw her arms around Stiles’ waist and leaned her head on his shoulder.

“ He’ll be back in a week,” she reminded him gently. 

Taken aback, Stiles gave her a startled look. He hadn’t talked to anyone besides Lydia. 

“ How-“he started to ask.

“ I talked to Lydia,” she explained. 

Stiles groaned.

“ Great. So everyone knows?”

Allison gave him a sympathetic smile and squeezed his waist. 

“ Stiles, we’ve all known for a while. You were the last one to figure it out.”

“ I just feel so pathetic,” Stiles grumbled. “I mean I’ve only known him for a little over a month and here I am acting like my life’s been put on hold now that he’s gone for a few days.” 

“ You are not pathetic,” Allison told him disapprovingly. “You like him. You miss him. There’s nothing wrong with that.” 

“ Why do I have to like him though?” Stiles asked. “I already went through this with Lydia. It hurts too much.” 

“ What do you mean?” Allison asked. 

“I have plenty of experience in the field of _hopelessly-pining-after-someone-I-have-no-chance-with._ I don’t need to add anymore to my resume.”

Allison pulled him to a stop and gave him a hard glare.

“ Stiles Stilinski, I do not want to hear you talk about yourself like that. You are a smart, funny, kind, loyal, and just all around amazing guy. Anyone would be lucky to have you. And if Derek’s too stupid to realize that then he’s not worth your time. Okay?”

“ Okay?” she repeated when Stiles looked away from her. 

Stiles took a deep breath as he thought over what she had said before looking back at her with an appreciative smile.

“ Yea. God am I glad Scott has you.” 

Allison flushed and gave him a shy smile.

“ You guys alright?”

Allison and Stiles looked up at the sound of Scott’s voice to see him and Isaac giving them concerned looks. 

“ Yea we’re just fine,” Allison told them before looking back at Stiles and giving his hand a quick squeeze. “Just for the record, you have me too Stiles.” 

She shared a smile with him before walking ahead and taking Scott’s hand. Stiles stood there another moment before running up and throwing his arms around Scott and Isaac’s shoulders.

“ I love you guys. Like a lot. You know that right?” 

Isaac raised a questioning eyebrow while Scott just beamed at him and pulled him closer.

“ We love you too buddy!” 

Yea, Stiles loved his friends.

~*~

Stiles was dead. Deader than dead. And stupid. Ridiculously stupid. Dead and stupid. And trying to recover from the most mortifying voicemail to end all mortifying voicemails. 

His first mistake had been choosing not to go over to Scott’s with his dad for dinner. But Scott had texted him and said he was going to bail to take Allison to dinner and Stiles should do the same. It was necessary; Stiles’ dad and Scott’s mom had been dancing around their growing feelings for each other for a little too long. 

His second mistake was not making plans with any of his friends that night. But mostly everyone was working and if they weren’t working they were with their significant other and the last thing Stiles needed that night was to be the awkward third wheel. 

His third mistake; okay maybe he should stop counting his mistakes because really, there were a lot of them, was scrolling through Facebook. 

He poked a few people back, liked a few posts and pictures, commented on things he thought were comment worthy, and shared a few things that amused him. When he got bored with Facebook, he switched over to his Twitter but nothing really caught his attention. He watched a few videos on YouTube before going back to Facebook. When he refreshed his page his breath hitched. 

There was a picture of Derek with a girl that could pass as Laura’s twin only younger. Obviously Cora. And the only reason Stiles was seeing it was because Cora had tagged him and Laura in it. She captioned it saying that the art show had gone really well and she was happy to be spending time with her older brother. 

Cora was smiling while Derek was, well, scowling. But it wasn’t an angry scowl, you could tell by the crinkles around his eyes that he was happy. He was probably scowling because he was told to smile and did the opposite out of spite. Stiles grinned at the thought. 

Then he frowned because _dammit_ he missed Derek. Then for whatever reason Stiles started to look through all of the pictures Laura had posted of him and Derek over the summer. Bad decision; it just made him miss Derek even more. It even made him feel a lot more stupid than he already felt because clearly he had been in denial over liking Derek for some time. 

But according to all the comments, Derek felt the same way. And that many different people couldn’t be wrong. Right? It was with that somewhat reassuring thought that Stiles called Laura, because how else was he supposed to get in touch with the one person in the world that didn’t own a phone?

His call went straight to voicemail; Stiles was expecting that. Laura hadn’t answered any of his calls or returned any of his texts since she’d left. She hadn’t even been active online which was really weird for her but hey, she was on a business trip. Odd behavior could be excused. 

Anyways, the point: The Voicemail. Capitalization was necessary. 

“ Hey Laura,” Stiles started nervously. “Umm, so this message is for Derek so you can stop listening now. Though I know that’s not gonna stop you from listening. Anyways, Derek. God, where do I start? According to, well, everyone, you and I are in some serious like with each other. Which, I thought was completely crazy. Cause you’re you and I’m me and I thought I was lucky to even call you a friend. Like, holy shit Derek  _ we’re friends!  _ And it took a lot for us to get that way. So anything more than that? Crazy, ridiculous,  _ impossible _ . I wouldn’t even entertain the notion. Because I don’t want to ruin what we already have because what we already have is great. But I just-I like you big guy. A lot. And I wasn’t sure if I should tell you or not because the chances of you feeling the same way are slim to none and I don’t want things to be awkward between us but everyone seems to think that you feel the same way and that many different people can’t be wrong? Can they? Please tell me they aren’t wrong Derek. Whoa, okay, now I sound desperate and pathetic. That’s just great. Exactly what I was going for. You were supposed to take me seriously. Not that you ever take me seriously. Okay, where was I? Oh right. So I like you. But I don’t want things to be weird now. It’s not like I want to jump you and kiss you or anything-Scratch that. Thinking about kissing you is making me want to kiss you. Dammit I am so screwed. I blame you for this Derek. This is all your fault. You and your muscles and stubble and your smile and your eyes-exactly what color are your eyes anyway? They are like a spectrum of beauty. Yepp, those words just came out of my mouth. Okay, umm, I’m gonna hang up before I make any more of a fool of myself. Oh and Derek? I miss you. Umm bye.” 

Barely a minute had passed after he had hung up before Stiles started to regret leaving that voicemail. What had he been thinking!? It’s not like Derek would hear it before he got back. How could he? Unless Laura called Peter and Cora and told Derek that way…

_ Shit!  _ Stiles thought before grabbing for his phone and tapping away violently.

**[To Laura: LAURA! DON’T LISTEN TO THE VOICEMAIL! JUST ERASE IT!]**

Twenty minutes passed with no response, making Stiles even more anxious.

**[To Laura: Okay…so I’m assuming you’ve heard it by now…I was drunk. Yea that’s it! Severely drunk. Pay me no attention. Just erase it. Derek never needs to know about it.]**

Another twenty minutes.

**[To Laura: Laura please! You’re killing me here!]**

Stiles decided to be patient and waited for thirty minutes this time. Still nothing.

[ **To Laura: LAURA WHATEVER YOUR MIDDLE NAME IS HALE!! IF YOU DON’T RESPOND TO ME I WILL FLY MY ASS TO DALLAS AND FLUSH YOUR PHONE DOWN THE TOILET!!]**

Okay, so it was an empty threat. But Stiles was freaking out. It probably wasn’t the best idea to threaten the woman who held his dignity in her hands anyways. Well, phone but still. 

Stiles thought over everything he had said in the voicemail for like the millionth time before rolling over and groaning into his pillow.

Yea, Stiles was so dead. 

~*~

The last few days of Laura and Derek being gone where hell for Stiles. He was a bundle of nerves, constantly checking his phone to see if he’d get any response from Laura. All of his friends told him to just calm down and just talk to Derek when he got back but what did they know…It’s not like most of them were currently in successful relationships or anything.

Stiles was so anxious for them to be back that he barely slept the night before they were to arrive back in Beacon Hills. He didn’t even bother changing his clothes before running out of the house. His jeep was in the shop and his dad had the early shift so he had no choice but to walk all the way to the preserve. 

It wasn’t until he was standing in their driveway that he realized he wasn’t sure exactly what time Laura was supposed to be back. Even if she wasn’t back yet, Stiles was determined to wait on the porch until she was. He was determined to see and talk to Laura before Derek was even close to being back in the state. He just hoped Laura hadn’t told him about the voicemail. 

He made his way to the porch and hesitated before trying the doorknob. He was honestly expecting it to be locked so it was a surprise when the door opened with ease. He allowed himself a moment of relief before heading inside.

“ Laura?” he called into the house. 

He heard a _thump_ and Laura cursing before her footsteps started heading towards him.

“ Stiles?” she asked incredulously when she saw him before giving him a delighted smile and pulling him into a tight hug. 

She pulled away and cupped his face in her hands.

“ I am so glad to be back. That business trip was brutal. Oh I’ve missed your adorable face,” she told him before breaking away and heading into the living room to finish unpacking. 

Stiles followed her and plopped down into an armchair, sending her a glare with very little heat.

“ If you missed me so much how come you never answered your phone or replied to any of my texts? I’ve been going crazy here Laura.” 

Laura’s head shot up with a guilty expression.

“ I didn’t bring my phone with me. Well I did but only my work phone. I left my personal phone here so I didn’t get any of your texts or calls. I’m sorry. Did something happen?” 

Stiles felt so relieved when Laura told him that. Derek would never hear that voicemail. Everything could stay the way it was. Everything was going to be fine. 

“ No! Nothing happened. I just missed Der-you guys. It was kind of boring not coming over here so much. But umm, there may or may not be some slightly incriminating texts and a very incriminating voicemail on your phone. Don’t bother reading or listening to them though. Just erase everything from me that’s on your phone. They aren’t important.”

Stiles tried to sound casual and nonchalant but the look Laura was giving him let him know that he was far from successful. She crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow at him.

“ Uh huh. So are you planning on chilling here until Derek gets back? Cause that won’t be till around six.”

Stiles spluttered and managed to look truly offended.

“ What? What makes you think I’m here just for him? Maybe I just really missed you and couldn’t wait to see you.” 

Laura continued to give him that skeptical look before rolling her eyes and stalking into the kitchen.

“ Whatever helps you sleep at night Stiles. I’ll make us an early lunch. I’m starving and I’m guessing you haven’t eaten?” 

Stiles’ stomach chose that moment to growl audibly, affirming Laura’s guess and earning him a smug look. Okay, so maybe he hadn’t bothered eating breakfast either but he had had priorities he needed to take care of before life necessities could be considered. 

He followed Laura into the kitchen and gave her an appreciative one armed hug before helping in any way he could. As they ate, they talked about how Laura’s trip had been and what Stiles had been up to since she had left. Stiles may have omitted a choice revelation but he had heard enough about it from his friends, Lydia and Erica in particular, and if he heard one more person say it had taken him long enough he might scream. 

When Stiles was done eating he put his empty plate on the coffee table and pulled his legs up into the armchair and settled in, getting comfy.

“ You alright Stiles? You look exhausted,” Laura observed as she gathered up their dishes and took them into the kitchen to be dumped into the sink.

“ Yea, just t-tired,” Stiles told her around a yawn when she returned to the living room. “I haven’t been sleeping well lately.” 

Laura gave him a sympathetic smile before walking over and ruffling his hair.

“ Why don’t you go upstairs and get some sleep? Derek won’t be home for another couple of hours, I’ve gotta finish unpacking, and I’d like to take a nap as well.”

“ You can sleep in Derek’s room,” Laura answered in response to Stiles’ lost expression. 

Stiles wasn’t so sure that was a good idea.

“ Derek wouldn’t mind?” Stiles asked her hesitantly. 

“ No,” Laura scoffed. “It’s not like he’s using it and if he does mind I’ll punch him in the throat.”

Stiles thought it over before he decided to take Laura up on her offer. He pushed himself out of the chair and gave Laura another hug.

“ Thanks Laur. Did I mention that I’m glad you’re back?” 

“ Flattery will get you nowhere!” Laura told him as she playfully swatted him away and gestured for him to go get some sleep. 

As he made his way upstairs to Derek’s room he wasn’t sure how he’d be able to sleep with the prospect of seeing Derek after he woke up. But it wasn’t really an issue. As soon as his head hit the pillow he was out like a light. 

~*~ 

Laura finished unpacking and managed to catch a few hours of sleep before waking up and feeling gross and muggy from all the traveling that morning. She took a quick shower and started a load of laundry before heading down to the kitchen to satisfy her craving for coffee. 

She had finished two loads of laundry and was on her second cup of coffee when the crunch of the gravel driveway let Laura know that Derek was home. She smiled to herself before heading out to the front porch to greet him. 

“ You should’ve taken a taxi,” Laura tells him as he made his way up the walk. “It probably cost you a fortune to pay for parking that thing.” 

“ You were the one who refused to get into a taxi Laura. I believe your exact words were, ‘they are unhygienic?’” he shot back before pulling her into a hug.

“ I’m glad you're home baby bro.” 

“ Me too,” Derek told her as he hugged her back, kissing her cheek before heading into the house.

“ What have you been doing since you got back?” Derek asked as he dropped his suitcase onto the couch and fell into the armchair. 

“ Oh nothing much,” Laura responded airily, “just taking care of a puppy who’s been anxiously awaiting your return.” 

Derek just gave her a blank look.

“ Am I supposed to know what that means?” 

“ There’s a puppy in your room waiting for you,” Laura explained, not making her meaning any clearer to Derek.

“ Dammit Laura,” Derek started as he pushed himself out of the chair and headed for the stairs, “if there’s a dog in my room I swear…” he trailed off, unsure of how to threaten his sister without it backfiring on him. 

Derek stomped up the stairs and threw his bedroom open…only to find a sleeping Stiles on his bed. 

“ Stiles?” Derek asked incredulously. 

Derek wasn’t sure if he should wake him up or go back downstairs and let him sleep. But Laura had said Stiles was _waiting_ for him so maybe he’d want Derek to wake him up. Derek was still trying to decide what to do when Stiles groaned and started to sit up, making him freeze.

The door slamming open had startled Stiles out of his sleep, making him groan and sit up slowly to stare blankly at the door. 

“ Derek?” he asked sleepily. 

Once his eyes focused and he had determined that he wasn’t dreaming and that Derek was indeed standing in the doorway, Stiles shot up from the bed because  _ holy shit Derek was back! _

Before Derek was able to think of something to say, Stiles was a blur as he crossed the room to hug Derek because  _ Derek was back! _

“ You’re back, you’re back, you’re back!” Stiles repeated, hugging Derek a little tighter each time.

Derek chuckled as he hugged Stiles back.

“ Yea, I’m back. What are you doing here?” 

“ I wanted to see you and Laura when you got back,” Stiles explained in a rush, tightening his hold on Derek a little more. 

And then Stiles’ excitement came to a screeching halt and he shoved himself away from Derek, looking a little flushed.

“ No! No hugging! I am mad at you!” Stiles huffed out, avoiding eye contact and leaving Derek completely flabbergasted. 

“ I haven’t been here in ten days. What could I have done in the past minute?” Derek demanded.

“ Exactly! You’ve been gone!” Stiles yelled back.

“ I told you I was going to be gone!”

“ And I haven’t heard from you since then,” Stiles shot back, trying, and failing, to not let it sound like a whine. 

“ I don’t have a phone Stiles. You know that,” Derek reminded him gently, not sure why Stiles was so upset and not wanting to fight.

Stiles just glared, feeling like he was being talked to like a child.

“ And Cora and Peter don’t have phones either? Because I highly doubt that…” 

“ No, they have phones Stiles but I don’t have your number.”

“ You could’ve asked Laura,” Stiles grumbled, crossing his arms as he sat on the foot of Derek’s bed. 

Derek threw his arms up in exasperation, unsure of what Stiles wanted from him. 

“ Look, I’m sorry okay?” Derek told him as he crossed the room to sit next to Stiles. 

There was a stretch of silence in which Stiles shifted uncomfortably before looking at Derek shyly.

“ It’s fine. I just didn’t hear from Laura at all either and I wanted to know you guys were doing okay,” Stiles explained, though it didn’t sound like it was fine at all.

Derek shook his head before grabbing Stiles’ arm and pulling him off of the bed with him.

“ Hey!” Stiles protested once he gained his footing. “What the hell?”

“ Come on,” Derek told him, nodding his head in the direction of the door. 

“ Come on where?” Stiles asked uncertainly. 

“ Well since you’re still angry-“

“ I’m not angry,” Stiles interrupted.

“ Oh, so you don’t want apology curly fries?” Derek asked with a smirk.

“ I’m furious Derek Hale!” Stiles told him, stomping out towards the stairs for an added effect. 

Derek just rolled his eyes in amusement as he followed Stiles out of his room. 

Laura was smiling smugly at her phone when Stiles came stomping down the stairs followed closely by Derek.

“ You two aren’t fighting are you?” Laura asked, not sounding the least bit concerned.

“ Yepp,” Stiles told her, sounding absolutely chipper. “I’m  _ furious _ . Derek owes me curly fries.” 

“ Derek!” Laura chastised. “Curly fries aren’t an acceptable form of apology. Let me cook dinner,” she directed at Stiles. 

“ No,” Stiles whimpered. “The curly fries. I want.” 

Laura’s heart melted at the adorable sight while Derek was still trying to act like he was completely unaffected by Stiles’ behavior. 

“ Don’t worry Stiles, you’re going to get your curly fries,” Derek reassured him.

“ Can I come?” Laura asked innocently, making her coming along the last thing Derek wanted.

“ No,” Derek ordered before he started to guide Stiles to the front door.

Laura just sniggered into her hand as she went back to looking through her phone. Messing with her brother was just too much fun. A moment later Stiles came skidding back into the living room looking a little anxious.

“ Laura, umm about those messages…” he started, unsure of what he wanted to say.

“ What messages?” she asked with a wink, making Stiles look completely relieved.

“ You are a goddess,” he breathed before running back out after Derek. 

“ What was that about?” Derek asked once Stiles had climbed into the Camaro.

“ Oh, just wanted to tell her again I was glad she was back.” 

Derek just nodded and started the car. Once they were on their way to the diner, Derek decided to break the silence.

“You know, instead of yelling at me, a simple ‘ _I missed you’_ would have sufficed.” 

Stiles had been staring out the window but at that his head whipped around and he fumbled for a response.

“ Wh-I-What makes you think I missed you?” Stiles demanded. 

Derek didn’t bother answering, sparing a moment to raise an eyebrow at Stiles before looking back to the road.

“ Okay, maybe it was boring while you were gone but that’s because rarely anyone comes into the shop and I’ve been craving Laura’s cooking.” 

Derek scoffed.

“ Whatever you say Stiles.” 

“Soooo,” Stiles started, “say, hypothetically, that I _did_ miss you, does that mean I can get curly fries _and_ a milkshake?” 

That made Derek laugh.

“ Stiles, you can get whatever you want. I don’t care.” 

With a satisfied smile, Stiles went back to staring out the window.

“ Hey Stiles?” Derek asked after another stretch of silence.

“ Yea?”

“ I missed you too,” Derek told him quietly. 

Stiles wasn’t able to stop grinning the rest of the night. 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  


  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter will be up on September 18th. See you then!
> 
> Hope you are enjoying!
> 
> Come say hi and hang out:
> 
> https://1gurgi1.tumblr.com/


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Teen Wolf belongs to MTV and Jeff Davis

Another round of thuds and banging interrupted Stiles’ fifth attempt at going back to sleep. He groaned and rolled over, trying yet again to stifle the noise with his pillow. 

Stiles cursed his dad for abandoning him to the thunderous cacophony that was workers repairing a leaky roof in favor of staying at a friend’s place. He should’ve listened to his dad and found somewhere to stay for the week. In his defense, he had figured he’d be working early shifts that week and wouldn’t have to endure this horrible brand of torture. Why hadn’t he listened to his dad?

More banging echoed through the house, making Stiles snap. He grabbed for a lone shoe and violently chucked it at the ceiling. A beat of silence and then the banging continued. Stiles sighed. Attempt at silencing the pre existing noise with more noise was completely ineffective. 

Admitting his defeat, Stiles stuffed some things into a backpack and grabbed his pillow before marching out to his Jeep, grumbling all the way about how certain activities should be banned before noon.

~*~

Derek glared daggers at the shut bathroom door that Laura was currently safe behind before he shuffled downstairs. He had woken up with the intention of showering but before he had even one foot in the bathroom, Laura came barreling out of her room, and barked at him to start a pot of coffee before shutting herself in the bathroom. Derek couldn’t wait until the renovations were done and the other bathrooms were up and running. 

After starting a pot of coffee, Derek was rummaging through the fridge, trying to scrounge up something for breakfast when the familiar sound of Stiles’ Jeep sounded outside of the house. Derek frowned in confusion until a pleased smile spread across his face and he made his way to the front door. 

Before Stiles had a chance to open the door himself, Derek was there looking questioningly at a rumpled and very sleep deprived Stiles. He started to ask what Stiles was doing there but before he could utter so much as a syllable, Stiles held his hand up. 

“ Repairs. Leaky roof. Early. Loud. Can’t sleep. Need sleep. So much sleep needed. Brought pillow.” 

Derek smirked in amusement when Stiles held up said pillow and stumbled into the house. Stiles dropped his stuff onto the couch and then Derek gently grabbed him by his shoulders to guide him into the kitchen and pour him some coffee. Stiles gratefully sipped at the caffeinated brew until Derek prompted him to explain again, this time in complete sentences. 

“ You should’ve listened to your dad,” Derek pointed out when Stiles was done explaining his situation. 

“ Hey! I did not come here to be reminded of my mistakes big guy,” Stiles bit back. “I came here because I wanted a safe, quiet place to sleep and everyone else is otherwise occupied at this time of day, and no that does not mean you were my last choice it’s just an evident fact. There isn’t any other couch I’d rather crash on.”

Derek just threw his hands up in surrender. Derek was used to handling a testy Laura when she was low on sleep, and while Stiles wasn’t anywhere close to being as terrifying as Laura, Derek figured he’d play it safe. 

Derek told Stiles he could sleep in his room if he wanted but Stiles just swatted his offer away with a flick of his hand before collapsing onto the couch with a relieved sigh. Derek hesitated on what to do while Stiles slept before saying screw it and settling down on the opposite end of the couch to read.

~*~ 

An hour later, Derek had turned into a foot rest. 

One of Stiles’ legs was stretched out and draped across Derek’s lap while the other one was tucked in and Stiles’ foot was pressed into the side of Derek’s thigh. It wasn’t exactly comfortable but Derek would be damned if he was going to move. He didn’t want to wake Stiles up. That was the reason he told himself anyway. 

“ Hey,” Stiles mumbled as he pushed his foot against Derek’s leg, grabbing Derek’s attention away from his book.

“ I know what I want for Christmas,” Stiles mumbled again even though Derek hadn’t responded. 

That shocked a laugh out of Derek who then shook his head in amusement.

“ Stiles, it’s not even July yet,” Derek reminded him.

Stiles’ face scrunched up in a frowned as he pressed his foot against Derek’s leg again, increasing the pressure.

“ Christmas,” Stiles repeated, earning a sigh from Derek.

“ What do you want for Christmas Stiles?” 

“ Snow. I wanna go somewhere with snow so I can play in it and do other snowy things.”

“ So do it,” Derek responded, not sure why Stiles was telling him this.

“ You should go with me. Will you go with me to play in snow Derek? It can be my Christmas present and your birthday present. Win-win.” 

That took Derek by surprise. Stiles remembered his birthday. Stiles wanted to spend Christmas with Derek. Stiles was asking Derek to make Christmas plans almost six months in advance. Stiles thought they were going to be friends that long. Stiles _wanted_ to stay friends that long. 

“ Sure,” Derek finally managed.

“ Promise?” Stiles asked, throwing his arm over his body and holding his pinky up at Derek. 

Derek’s lips twitched, fighting back a smile as he wrapped his pinky around Stiles’. 

“ Promise,” he said softly.

Content, Stiles shifted some and a few minutes later was fast asleep again. Derek wasn’t even sure he had been completely awake. Their fingers were still linked and since Stiles hadn’t pulled his hand back, Derek wasn’t going to either. It was childish and pathetic but when Derek thought about it was almost like they were holding hands and he’d be damned if he was going to pass that rare chance up. 

A few minutes later, Derek was shocked by the sound of Laura’s voice. He had been so focused on Stiles that he’d honestly forgotten she was still home.

“ You shouldn’t make promises you can’t keep Derek,” she chided from the entryway of the living room, eyes studying their linked fingers before flicking them up to Derek.

Derek flushed and quickly, but gently, took his hand away from Stiles’.

“ I didn’t,” Derek defended, not bothering to elaborate. 

“ You really should just tell him how you feel,” Laura told him after she took a picture of the two of them. “It’s getting nauseating watching you two.”

“ Laura!” Derek hissed, throwing an alarmed look Stiles’ away. Thankfully he was sound asleep.

“ Oh please, Stiles is dead to the world. It’s not like he’s going to hear us,” Laura assured her brother as she went and sat in an armchair.

“ You don’t know that,” Derek argued. 

Laura just rolled her eyes before giving Derek a look that gave him a very bad feeling.

“ Stiles,” Laura said very clearly, “my dear brother wants to wed and bed you. How do you feel about that?” 

Derek’s face heated up at that but Stiles didn’t so much as twitch, proving Laura’s point. 

“ If I thought I could get away with it I would so murder you in your sleep,” Derek hissed at his sister as he threw his head back against the couch in relief. 

“ What’s so wrong with him knowing Der?” Laura asked, a hint of impatience entering her voice. 

Derek raised an eyebrow at her, silently asking if she was serious. She just raised one right back, insisting he answer her question. Their little stare off continued a moment longer and surprisingly, Laura caved first. 

“Derek- no, don’t give me that look, just listen- when was the last time you were with someone? When’s the last time you were even interested in someone? When’s the last time you _wanted_ to be with someone?”

“ It’s been a while,” Derek grudgingly admitted, not wanting to think about his last few relationships. 

“ Exactly!” Laura exclaimed, making Stiles groan and shift in his sleep, earning her a warning glare from Derek. She silently apologized and lowered her voice. 

“ Exactly Derek, it’s been a while. Too long. I can’t even remember the name of the person you took on a date last. And I’m the one who set you two up. I’m your sister and I want you to be happy. And no, your happiness doesn’t necessitate being in a relationship but you’ve been so much happier since you met him. You talk more. You smile more. You laugh more. You aren’t holed up in the house anymore. You’re actually out doing things because you want to spend time with him. I don’t want you to lose that or throw that away because you’re scared Der-Bear.” 

“ I’m not scared…” Derek murmured so low that Laura barely heard him. 

“ Then what’s the problem?” Laura pushed. 

“ What even makes you think he’d like me back?” Derek demanded, his voice rising slightly.

Laura shot her eyes at Stiles, silently reminding Derek to keep it down if he didn’t want to wake him up. Derek managed to look guilty but still kept glaring at Laura. And then Laura felt guilty because she promised Stiles not to say anything about the voicemail even if she hadn’t said it in so many words. 

“ I just know, okay?” Laura asked, rolling her eyes. 

“ And I know that he doesn’t,” Derek argued.

“ Do not,” Laura scoffed.

“ Do too,” Derek shot back, trying to make it sound final. 

Laura just laughed, making Derek feel thoroughly confused.

“ God Derek, what are you five? No, because that’d be an insult to five year olds, because I know five year olds less stubborn than you. A five year old likes someone and they just go up and tell them without a care in the world.”

Derek just rolled his eyes. 

“What five year olds do you know, Laur?” 

Laura ignored him and continued her rant as she got up and started flitting around the room to grab her stuff. 

“ And that’s mainly because for a five year old, at the end of the day, doesn’t care if the person likes them back or not cause it doesn’t really matter. And yes, I realize that if for some unknown reason Stiles doesn’t like you back,  _ which he does _ , that it’d be painful but if you think Stiles would stop being your friend over something like that then you’re a bigger idiot than I thought Derek!”

She threw her bag over her shoulder before turning to give Derek one last meaningful glare.

“ Just tell him Derek or I promise you, I will!”

She then stomped out of the house, slamming the front door behind her. The door slamming made Stiles’ face pinch together and he groaned as he shifted in his sleep.

“ Wha’s going on?” he murmured sleepily.

“ Nothing Stiles,” Derek told him gently. “Laura just left for work. Go back to sleep.” 

Stiles didn’t need to be told twice. Moments later he was back to snoring faintly; a small puddle of drool forming on his pillow. Derek would take thinking it was adorable to the grave. 

~*~

Stiles woke up a few hours later, well rested and with a crick in his neck. He wiped the dried drool off of his mouth with an eye roll before noticing that Derek was no longer with him on the couch. 

“ Derek?” he asked, raising his voice slightly so that Derek would be sure to hear him.

“ In here,” Derek responded, his voice sounding from the kitchen.

Stiles grinned and started to push himself up so he could meet Derek in the kitchen, but then fell back onto his elbow when his phone started ringing. Scott was calling.

“ Hey Scottie,” Stiles answered around a yawn. 

“ My dad is in town,” Scott told him by way of greeting.

Stiles blinked in surprise before groaning and pushing himself up into a sitting position.

“ What the hell does he want?” Stiles asked. 

“ Hell if I know. Mom said something about him wanting to spend time with us over the summer.”

Stiles let out a whistle; smiling in thanks when Derek came back into the room and handed him a bottle of water.

“ Does my dad know?” Stiles asked.

There was no love lost between Scott and Stiles’ dads. The fact that Stiles’ dad and Scott’s mom were sorta kinda dating wasn’t going to help anything.

“ No, I was hoping you’d tell him?” Scott hedged. 

“ Scottie!” Stiles whined, earning a curious look from Derek.

“ Or we could just not tell him,” Scott suggested. “They’re bound to run into each other around work sometime.” 

Stiles ran his hand down his face before taking a drink of his water.

“ No matter how he finds out he’s not gonna be happy about it. You know how he gets.” 

“ I know. My mom isn’t exactly happy about it either.”

“ What about you? Are you happy about it?”

There was a moment of silence and Stiles could just picture Scott thinking it over before shrugging his shoulders.

“ I know he hasn’t been around much but I mean, he’s still my dad. And we’re closer now than we’ve ever been before. He’s trying. It’s just hard to be overly happy when he disrupts everything when he is here.” 

“ I know buddy, I know. Hey, want me to see if my dad will arrest him?”

Scott snorted, making Stiles grin.

“ I’m pretty sure his badge would prevent that from happening.”

Stiles rolled his eyes and then fought back laughter at Derek’s confused face.

“ We could always do what we did to Jackson back in high school.”

“ Stiles, no! Our parents nearly killed us! Jackson threatened to file a restraining order,” Scott reminded him.

“ It was a joke!” Stiles argued for the millionth time. “And we filled the tank!”

“ No,” Scott told him with finality.

“ Fine,” Stiles grumbled. 

Another stretch of silence happened as Stiles eyed Derek’s muscles.

Then, “What if we had Derek threaten to beat him up?”

“ Stiles!” Scott yelled indignantly.

Derek just glared, completely unamused.

“ Fine, fine. Let’s just hope they don’t kill each other while we’re away at the beach over the weekend.” 

“ Crossing my fingers. I’ll talk to you later bro, I’m going over to Allison’s.”

“ Alright, have fun. Tell her hi for me.”

“ Hi,” Stiles said to Derek when he got off of the phone.

“ Who am I beating up?” he asked.

Stiles chuckled and shook his head.

“ No one big guy. Scott’s dad is in town and we aren’t exactly his biggest fan.” 

“ Right. And what did you do to Jackson in high school?” 

Stiles then fell into a fit of laughter, taking a good minute to sober so he could answer Derek.

“ Okay, so back in high school, before Jackson and I grudgingly became friends through Lydia, Jackson and his goons decided to push me into the pool and repeatedly dunk me and I have a huge fear of drowning so I talked Scott into helping me get back at him. So, we tricked Jackson into getting into a police transport vehicle that we borrowed and we may or may not have locked him in the back and left him in the woods for a day and give or take some hours. Completely harmless.” 

Derek looked at Stiles as if he was seeing him for the first time.

“ You’re a menace, you know that?” Derek finally told him.

“ I am a gift to this world,” Stiles corrected, beaming proudly.

“ You’re something alright,” Derek said with an amused head shake, fighting back a fond smile. 

“ Sorry for showing up here like that,” Stiles segued, feeling the need to apologize.

“ It’s fine Stiles. Do you-Do you need somewhere to stay until your roofs done?” Derek asked uncertainly. 

“ Just tonight,” Stiles told him after a moment’s hesitation. “I don’t go into work till two tomorrow and I’d like to actually get some uninterrupted sleep. So if you’re offering…?”

“ I’m offering.”

“ And Laura won’t mind?”

“ Laura loves you,” Derek reminded him with a scoff.

“ Yea, the feelings kind of mutual,” Stiles said with a fond smile.

Before he could stop it Derek’s grin morphed into a scowl, making Stiles blink and then start laughing.

“ Aww, is someone jealous?” Stiles asked teasingly, deepening Derek’s scowl.

“ Don’t worry Derek,” Stiles said with a snigger, “you’re still my favorite.” 

“ Oh shut up,” Derek ordered, throwing a pillow Stiles’ way. 

Stiles laughed again and threw the pillow back at Derek, aiming for his head. Naturally he caught it before it could hit him. Stupid reflexes.

“ Are you doing anything today?” Stiles asked as he picked at a loose thread on his shirt, trying to sound casual.

“ No, why?” 

“ Mind if my incessant chatter and I keep you company?” Stiles asked with a sly grin. 

Derek wanted to tell Stiles he never wanted him to leave but he just went with a simple, “Sure.” 

“ Great!” Stiles exclaimed, jumping up and heading over to grab some movies he brought with him in his bag.

“ You planned this,” Derek accused with a chuckle. 

“ Do you or do you not want to watch Sorcerer’s Stone?” Stiles asked as he popped the disc in. 

“ Do,” Derek approved. 

“ Great! I’ll make some popcorn.”

~*~ 

“ Of all the things they changed and edited out of the movies, Nick’s Death Day Party is the thing you’re most upset about?” Stiles asked incredulously, breathless from laughter. 

“ It was a good chapter,” Derek grumbled in his defense. 

After watching the first two Harry Potter movies, Stiles had proceeded to grill Derek on what he thought. This resulted in a close to two hour discussion on the differences between the movies and books that Derek had read so far. 

“ I’m not denying that, but the Death Day Party? Really? There are so many other greater and more crucial parts that are edited out of the series.”

“ I stand by my choices,” Derek told him stubbornly. 

“ God Derek,” Stiles managed around amused laughter, “when I suggested you read the books I didn’t realize you’d get so attached. It’s kind of adorable.”

And without really thinking about it, Stiles flopped down so that his head was resting on Derek’s lap. But damn if that didn’t send Stiles’ senses into overdrive when his brain finally caught up to his body’s actions. Stiles stilled instinctively, unsure what Derek’s reaction would be. 

Taking Stiles completely by surprise, Derek just looked down at him with a raised eyebrow; amusement clearly drawn on his face. Certain he’d never get another opportunity like this; Stiles relaxed and allowed himself to enjoy the rare chance. 

“ Hi,” Stiles said softly with a shy smile. 

“ Hey,” Derek said back, flashing a toothy grin that had Stiles discovering a whole new appreciation for Derek’s teeth.

Stiles was tempted to surge up and just kiss Derek stupid but some higher being decided then was the time to work in Stiles’ favor and save him from that particular brand of humiliation.

“ Hey boys! I’m home!” Laura called as she got back from work. 

Stiles’ old lacrosse coach would’ve claimed responsibility for how fast he was able to shoot up off the couch and put himself on the other side of the room before Laura came sauntering in but the last thing he wanted was her taking pictures of them having a moment- he would come back to that later because  _ holy fuck they had most definitely just had a moment _ \- and posting them so everyone could see. 

Laura was immediately suspicious at how flustered Stiles looked as he rubbed nervously at his neck and how Derek refused to look in Stiles’ direction or make eye contact with her.

“ Everything okay?” she asked. 

“ Fine,” they both said in unison with a clipped tone.

“ Uh-huh. Well I’m going to go upstairs and change,” she told them before turning to head upstairs.

Before she could so much as take a step though, Stiles was barreling past her as he shouted, “Bathroom!” at the same time that Derek murmured about needing to get something out of the Camaro.

“ You two are too weird,” Laura mused to herself as she followed Stiles upstairs. 

By the time Laura came back downstairs, Derek was reading a book while Stiles was sitting as far from him as possible as he flipped through the channels; both of them pointedly ignoring the other.

“ What is up with you two?” she asked as she paused in front of the mirror to check her hair and makeup. 

“ Nothing,” they both said in unison again, leading to a tense silence.

“ Right. Well just don’t kill each other or destroy the house while I’m gone, okay? I’ll probably be out late.” 

“ Where are you going?” Derek demanded at the same time that Stiles asked, “What are you all dolled up for?” 

“ Well if you must know,” Laura told them with a sly grin, “I have a date tonight.” 

“ A date?” Derek demanded, looking up from his book with a scowl. 

“ Yes Derek, a date,” Laura said with an eye roll. “You know that thing you do where you get to know someone? Spending time with someone and enjoying their company? I’d rather not end up alone.”

“ I know what a date is!” Derek snapped. “And you wouldn’t end up alone! You’ve got me.”

“ Yes, but I can’t have mind blowing sex with you, now can I? Ciao boys.”

She blew them a kiss and was out the door. 

“ Gross,” Derek muttered, scrunching his face up in disgust as he processed what Laura had said. 

Stiles burst into laughter when he glanced at Derek out of the corner of his eye.

“ Dude!” Stiles breathed. “Your face!” 

“ Oh shut up,” Derek ordered with a scowl, throwing a cushion at Stiles.

Stiles managed to catch it before it hit him and gave Derek a mock stern look.

“ Ah-ah, what did Laura say about destroying the house Der?” 

Derek just rolled his eyes and pushed himself off of the couch, heading into the kitchen. The awkward tension from before completely forgotten, Stiles hopped up and trailed after him. 

“ Where are you going?”

“ I’m hungry,” Derek told him.

“ Awesome! Let’s order pizza,” Stiles suggested, pulling out his phone to dial.

“ Or I could cook?” 

Stiles’ head shot up from his phone to gape at Derek.

“ You can cook?” Stiles asked in surprise. 

“ Why does that come as a shock to you?” Derek asked as he started to pull food out of the fridge.

Stiles shrugged, not completely sure of that himself.

“You just don’t strike me as the domestic type I guess. I mean, I can make the basics but even those are a hit and miss at times. But I did have to teach myself. After my mom died my dad just sort of…checked out for a while. When and _if_ we ate it was usually take out or the occasional frozen dinner.” 

Derek was pulling things out of drawers, cabinets and the fridge as Stiles talked but when he stopped, Derek paused to look at him and silently asked him to continue before he went back to gathering everything he needed. So Stiles hopped up onto one of the available counters before continuing. 

“ It’s kind of funny I guess. I was probably one of the few kids who didn’t enjoy take out or eating dinner on a tray in front of the TV. We had always been a family dinner household. It was our time to talk, catch up, and find out about each other’s days. I missed it. I missed my dad. So I decided to take matters into my own hands. I was going to learn how to cook. Family dinners were being reinitiated. Even if most came out a bit charred.”

“ Sounds like you,” Derek mused as he started trimming a couple of steaks.

“ So what’s on the menu?” Stiles asked, hopping down from the counter and making his way over to Derek’s side. 

“ Steak and potatoes. Nothing too complicated. If that’s alright?” 

Stiles nodded enthusiastically. It sounded perfect. Though frankly, Stiles would’ve been happy to eat anything Derek made for him. 

“ Anything I can do to help?” 

Derek froze and eyed Stiles curiously before grabbing a utensil off of the counter and holding it up with a serious expression on his face. 

“Depends. Can I trust you _not_ to cut yourself while peeling potatoes?”

Stiles balked, slightly offended.

“ Are you serious right now?”

Derek just raised an eyebrow, waiting for an answer.

“ Oh my god! You’re serious! Derek, give me some credit. I’m not that accident prone. I’m not!” Stiles added when Derek just continued to look at him. 

Stiles just rolled his eyes before snatching the peeler out of Derek’s hand.

“ You’re going to regret doubting me, big guy. Just you watch. These are going to be the best peeled potatoes that have ever been peeled!” 

Derek just laughed silently to himself before he went back to trimming the steaks. Once he was done with that he seasoned them lightly with some salt and pepper. Just as he was about to pull out the pan grill, he heard a quiet “shit” come from Stiles’ direction. Derek closed his eyes, unsure if he should be irritated or amused.

“ Stiles,” Derek said simply.

“ Shush! Just keep doing what you’re doing,” he ordered indignantly. 

“ Stiles,” Derek repeated as he made his way over to him.

“ Really!” Stiles insisted. “It’s not that big of a deal. I only thought I cut myself. Nothing to worry about.”

But when Derek got close enough to see over his shoulder, Stiles was holding his left thumb in his fist so as not to bleed everywhere. Stiles didn’t acknowledge Derek’s presence at first before giving a resigned sigh and turning to face him, an evidently displeased pout on his face. 

“ You made me doubt myself,” Stiles muttered, aiming an accusatory glare at Derek. 

“ Sure,” Derek appeased. “How bad is it?”

“ Not bad. Stings a bit but I didn’t bleed on the potatoes so that’s good. A Band-Aid would help though.” 

Derek snorted but left the room to retrieve Stiles’ Band-Aid. Stiles was briefly disappointed that the Band-Aid was a boring normal one but put it on regardless. 

“ Thanks,” Stiles told him with a grin before turning back and grabbing up the peeler. 

“ Drop it,” Derek ordered. “I’d like you to leave here with all of your fingers intact,” he explained at Stiles’ confused expression. 

“ Dude it’s not like I’m going to cut myself again,” Stiles argued.

Nevertheless, Derek took over peeling and dicing up the potatoes before throwing them in a pot to boil. As he waited for that he threw the steaks on. All the while, Stiles was chattering about this and that as he watched Derek cook their meal. Asking questions about certain things he did every once in a while.

Half an hour later, the pair was seated in the living room enjoying their meal. 

“ Dude!” Stiles exclaimed for the fifth time. “This is so good! Like amazing, really. I don’t think I’ve ever had a steak this good. So juicy and seasoned just right. And these potatoes! So fluffy and creamy. You can cook me dinner any night,” Stiles told him as he popped the last bite of potato into his mouth. 

Derek, secretly pleased by Stiles’ praise, ducked his head as he tried to hide the flush on his face. 

“ So who taught you how to cook?” Stiles asked once they had finished up the dishes and were seated back in the living room. 

Derek’s easy grin slid off of his face, taking on that look that Stiles associated with when he was thinking about his parents. 

“ My dad,” Derek told him softly. 

Stiles waited silently for Derek to continue. Or change the subject if that was what he wanted. 

“It was our thing. My mom and I, we had books and the library. But me and my dad, we bonded while we were cooking in the kitchen. He was trying to teach me all of the recipes that his mom had taught him. I remember being jealous of my sisters, Cora especially since she was so young, because he spoiled them so much. Because they were his little girls. But Saturday's, those were our cooking days. Those were _my_ days with Dad and I always looked forward to them.”

“ Sounds nice,” Stiles said simply with a smile. 

“ It was great,” Derek agreed. 

“ What about your mom? Could she cook?” Stiles asked hesitantly, unsure if he was pushing too much. 

“ God no,” Derek let out in a breathy laugh making Stiles laugh in turn. 

“ My mom in the kitchen was a  _ disaster _ . If it couldn’t quickly be microwaved, she was sure to ruin it somehow. That didn’t stop her from trying though. Two years before they…died…she insisted on making Thanksgiving dinner. Dad tried talking her out of it but she was determined to make us a nice meal. Barely anything was edible but we forced down a few bites for her. It was probably the worst Thanksgiving dinner ever but I don’t think we had ever laughed harder.”

Stiles laughed quietly before softly saying, “She sounds great. They both do. I think I would’ve liked them.” 

And then Derek groaned, taking Stiles by surprise. 

“God, my mom would’ve _loved_ you. You think Laura’s bad? My mom would’ve been all over you. She would treat you like you were part of the family and insist that you call her Mom or Talia. She couldn’t stand being called Mrs. Hale. She was always like that with our friends. Making them feel welcome and wanted just because everyone deserves that.”

Stiles nodded in understanding. 

“ My mom was the same way. She was the mother hen, always nurturing everyone that she was around even if she was the one that needed it more. I have no doubt she would’ve turned you into her project,” Stiles told him with a chuckle.

Derek frowned in confusion.

“ Why?” 

“ Because big guy, you’re Growly McGrowlington. You’re the Scowl Master. My mom would’ve made it her mission to get under your skin and try to help you open up. Smile more. Make you know there’s stuff worth smiling for. There was no being mad or upset around her. She wouldn’t stand for it.” 

Derek thought it over to himself before sharing a soft smile with Stiles.

“ Sounds like you’re a lot like her,” Derek told him sincerely. 

Stiles blinked in surprise before quickly turning away from Derek so that he wouldn’t know that that alone had Stiles close to crying. 

“ Thanks Der,” Stiles choked out.

Derek didn’t bother responding. There was nothing else that needed to be said. 

~*~

For whatever reason, Stiles had insisted that they watch some scary movies for the rest of the night. Derek didn’t really mind. Horror movies never really bothered Derek and it was an easy excuse for curling up on the couch next to Stiles. 

Stiles however, had always been easily affected and scared by horror films. So it was to no surprise that when Laura came home and threw the front door open, Stiles nearly jumped out of his skin. 

“ Jesus Laura!” Stiles yelled, grabbing his heart as he waited for it to slow down. “You need to announce yourself. Send a warning text or something.” 

She just gave him a _you-can’t-be-serious_ look while Derek was struggling not to laugh at his friend’s expense. 

“ You’re the one who wanted to watch the movie,” Derek finally managed to point out.

“ Oh hush!” Stiles ordered with a glare as he got up to take the movie out. 

Laura just laughed softly to herself as she threw her arms around Stiles.

“ Am I going to have to ban scary movies in the house?” she asked with a smirk. 

“ Subject change! Now!” Stiles demanded as he extricated himself from Laura. “How was your date?” 

At that, Laura’s grin fell as she gave a resigned sigh.

“ It was a flop,” she told them, falling onto the couch. 

“ He nearly bored me to sleep. You know what he wanted to talk about? Real estate value.  _ Real estate value!  _ And he was cute too,” Laura ended with a pout. 

“ I’m sorry,” Stiles told her sincerely. 

“ Oh well. They can’t all be winners. He probably would’ve sucked in the sack anyways.”

Stiles just rolled his eyes while Derek was once again repulsed by the thought of his sister’s sex life. 

“ Enough about my horrid night. What have you guys been up to?” 

“ Nothing,” Derek told her with a shrug.

“ We watched some movies and Derek cooked us dinner,” Stiles told her with a smile.

Laura threw Derek an unamused glare for once again giving an unsatisfactory answer before smirking at him smugly.

“ Derek cooked did he? Interesting.” 

“ It was no big deal,” Derek shrugged, sending his sister a scowl.

“If it was ‘ _no big deal’_ then how come you never cook for your dear sister? Hmm? Answer me that.” 

“ That,  _ dear sister _ , is because you are perfectly capable of cooking for yourself,” he told her smugly. 

Laura just shrugged.

“ True. Alright boys, I’m heading to bed. Stiles, I assume you’re staying here tonight?”

“ Uh, yea,” Stiles affirmed. “If that’s alright.” 

“ Of course! You’re always welcome here. Derek, make sure he’s comfortable,” she ordered before hugging them both and heading upstairs for the night. 

Stiles watched her go before turning to Derek with a huge grin.

“ So, another movie?” Stiles asked.

Derek raised a skeptical eyebrow.

“ Don’t you have work tomorrow? It’s almost midnight,” he pointed out. 

“ Oh right,” Stiles realized with a frown. “Guess I should probably get some sleep then.”

“ Yea. So you can, uh, go ahead and take my bed. I’ll sleep on the couch,” Derek told him.

That didn’t sit right with Stiles.

“ Dude, no. I’m not taking your bed.”

“ I can’t make you sleep on the couch,” Derek argued.

“ Yes you can and you will. Besides, it’s a comfy couch. I slept like a baby earlier.” 

“ But Stiles-“

“ No buts! I’m staking this couch as my territory for the night!” Stiles declared as he plopped down on the couch, leaving no room for Derek to sit. 

Derek chuckled at his friend's antics before looking at him seriously.

“ Are you sure?”

“ Surer than sure,” Stiles promised.

“ Fine,” Derek relented. “Do you need anything?”

“ Nope.”

“ You sure? A blanket?” Derek ventured. “It gets pretty cold down here at night.”

“ Oh yea,” Stiles laughed. “Yea, a blanket would be nice.” 

So Derek grabbed him his favorite blanket out of the linen closet and even forced an extra pillow on him even though Stiles insisted he didn’t need it. 

“ Derek! I promise. I’m fine. Now go to bed, okay?” 

“ Right. Sorry,” Derek told him as he rubbed at his neck nervously. “Good night then.”

“ Night Der.” 

~*~

Stiles had meant it when he said that the couch was comfortable and that he wouldn’t mind sleeping on it. It wasn’t just because he would’ve felt bad taking Derek’s bed from him. He had truly meant it. The two other times he had slept on it he had slept just fine so he hadn’t really thought anything of it. 

That wasn’t what was preventing Stiles from falling asleep an hour later though. No, it was all of those damn horror movies he had insisted on them watching. 

As soon as Derek had hit the lights before going upstairs, Stiles’ active imagination went into overdrive. 

Natural noises of the house and the outdoors turned into noises of things lurking around outside. Objects and furniture turned into silhouettes of creatures watching him from the shadows of the room. Then Stiles had the disturbing thought that anyone or anything could drag his body into the woods surrounding the house and his corpse would inevitably never be found. Stiles had had enough when a very loud _bang_ sounded outside from out of nowhere. 

Stiles yelped before throwing himself off of the couch and running upstairs. He barged into Derek’s room, threw himself onto Derek’s bed and started shaking his friend awake. 

“ Derek!” he hissed. “Derek!” 

“ Dammit Stiles! Why aren’t you asleep?” Derek grumbled as he tried to move away from Stiles shaking him. 

“ Something’s outside and it wants to kill me,” Stiles whined. 

“ No there’s not you idiot. Go back to sleep.”

“ But Derek!” Stiles insisted. 

Derek took a deep breath, reminding himself that yelling at Stiles would _not_ be helpful before sitting up. 

“ What do you want me to do?” Derek asked sarcastically. “Check and make sure nothing is out there?”

Stiles didn’t respond. 

“ You can’t be serious.”

Stiles just silently stared at him, biting at his lower lip.

“ You’re serious!” Derek groaned. 

Derek ran his hand down his face before glancing back at Stiles.

“ Will it help you go to sleep?”

“ You’re the best!” Stiles breathed with a grin.

“ Whatever,” Derek told him as he slid out of bed. “Come on.” 

“ I hope you know I’m never watching another horror movie with you,” Derek told him as they walked downstairs. 

“ Me and scary movies have never gotten along well,” Stiles explained. 

“ You weren’t this freaked out last time,” Derek commented.

“ Well yea. That’s cause I was with you.  _ And everyone else _ ,” Stiles quickly added. 

Derek snorted before he flipped on the living room lights and quickly looked around for Stiles’ benefit before turning to face him. 

“ See? Nothing.” 

“ Well not now that you’ve turned the lights on…” Stiles grumbled. “What about outside?”

“ There’s nothing outside either Stiles,” Derek told him exasperatedly. 

Derek felt like he was dealing with a five year old. 

“ I heard a loud noise though.”

“ It was probably a raccoon then,” Derek pointed out. 

“ _Or_ a rabid wolf just waiting for the perfect moment to jump through the window and drag me into the woods,” Stiles argued. 

“ Except that would never happen.” 

“ And why the hell not?”

“ Because there are no wolves in California.” 

“ Oh right,” Stiles realized with a frown. “I knew that.” 

Derek was just about to ask Stiles if they could go back to bed now but Stiles beat him to it.

“ What about a rabid mountain lion then?” he asked in all seriousness. 

Derek blinked at his friend before a scowl formed on his face. He grabbed Stiles’ pillow in one hand and Stiles’ wrist in the other before dragging him back upstairs.

“ Wha-Derek! What are you doing?” Stiles asked as Derek led him up to his bedroom. 

“ Sleep. Now,” Derek ordered as he threw Stiles’ pillow onto his bed. 

“ But where are you going to sleep?”

“ In my bed,” Derek told him as he crawled back under the covers. 

Stiles, completely unsure if he could control himself if he shared Derek’s bed, just stood there.

“ What?” Derek asked. “It’s the same as when we shared my bed before.” 

Stiles was a moment away from pointing out that it was definitely _not the same_ but then realized that that would involve telling Derek _why_ it wasn’t the same and that was just not something that Stiles was ready to do. So he steeled himself before crawling into bed next to Derek. 

Stiles shuffled around for a few minutes, trying to get comfortable, before a warning sound came from Derek, instantly making Stiles stay still. 

Derek, finally able to settle down, was moments away from falling back to sleep until Stiles decided to break the silence.

“ Hey Derek?” 

“ What?” Derek growled. 

“ Thank you. For today.” 

Hearing Stiles’ sincerity made any irritation Derek had been feeling fade from his body. 

“ Go to sleep Stiles,” Derek whispered softly. 

The bed shook slightly with Stiles’ laughter.

“ Good night big guy.” 

~*~

The next morning Laura had posted yet another picture of Stiles and Derek to Facebook.

_ Hey  _ **_Stiles_ ** _? Is this your way of telling me my couch isn’t comfortable? _

So far, that picture had received the most likes and comments. 

Stiles gave Laura the silent treatment that whole morning. 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter will be up on September 25th. See you then!
> 
> Hope you are enjoying!
> 
> Come say hi and hang out:
> 
> https://1gurgi1.tumblr.com/


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Teen Wolf belongs to MTV and Jeff Davis

Once Stiles had finished brushing his teeth, he put his toothbrush in a holder before throwing it into his duffel bag. He then looked over the packing list Lydia had texted him because, according to Lydia, Stiles didn’t know how to pack.

Stiles didn’t see what the big deal was. They were going to the beach for four days, not to a different country. He didn’t need that much stuff. But it was always easier to go along with what Lydia said as opposed to arguing with her. 

Deciding he had everything, Stiles zipped his bag up before throwing it over his shoulder and going downstairs to find his dad. 

“ Dad?” Stiles called. “I’m about to leave.” 

“ I’m still not sure about this,” the sheriff told Stiles as he came out of the living room, crossing his arms. 

“ Dad,” Stiles whined exasperatedly, though he wasn’t surprised by his dad’s hesitation. “We’ve talked about this!” 

“ Nine teenagers going to a beach house by themselves? That’s just asking for trouble,” John reminded him for the fifth time. 

“ But we’re not teenagers! We’re adults!” Stiles argued. 

“ Barely.” 

“ Details. Besides, Laura and Derek are going with us,” Stiles told him for the first time. 

Stiles had been holding that small detail back because he knew as soon as he shared it with his dad he would get that hard, protective look in his eyes. 

“ Oh and that’s supposed to make me feel better?” the sheriff asked sarcastically.

“ Dad, you trust Laura,” Stiles pointed out. 

“ But I don’t completely trust Derek.” 

“Well I do and he’s done nothing to make you _not_ trust him so just give him a chance alright? For me?” Stiles pleaded. 

Stiles’ dad just kept looking at him with that unconvinced look before he gave a resigned sigh and dismissed Stiles with a wave of his hand.

“ Fine, fine. Go have fun at the beach. Call if you need anything.” 

“ Thanks dad,” Stiles told him, visibly relieved.

“ Oh and one more thing before I go,” Stiles started as he gave his dad a hug before heading for the door. “Scott’s dad is back in town. Bye!”

And with that, Stiles hurriedly ran out to his jeep, ignoring the “Dammit Stiles!” that was yelled from behind him. 

~*~

“ If you don’t stop scowling Derek Hale I will come over there and rearrange your face myself!” Laura threatened as she filled two thermoses with coffee. 

Derek just threw her a glare before he went back to throwing some last minute things into his bag and throwing it over his shoulder. He headed over to the counter and grabbed his thermos out of her hand. 

“ I thought you’d be excited about this,” Laura told him as she walked past, flicking him on the forehead. “You’re getting four days with Stiles.” 

“ Dammit Laura!” Derek growled before grumbling, “What’s the big deal. I spend damn near every day with him.” 

“ The big deal is that this is a birthday present for Stiles,” Laura reminded him as she zipped up her bag. “He wants you there so if you spoil this weekend by being your usual brooding scowling self, I will drown you in the ocean.” 

“ You’re just full of threats this morning aren’t you Laura,” Derek commented, taking a sip of his coffee.

“ It’s only because I love you baby brother,” she told him with an affectionate pat to the cheek. “Come on, we’re going to be late.” 

~*~

By the time Laura and Derek pulled up, everyone was already gathered outside of Lydia’s house. The group was trying to figure out what vehicles to take and who would ride with who.Well, most of them were. Stiles and Lydia were too busy arguing and Jackson was nowhere to be seen. 

“ Would you just think about leaving her here?” Stiles demanded.

“ No Stiles!” Lydia hissed. “I refuse to leave her here. My mom’s out of town and she would be here all by herself.” 

Stiles opened his mouth to argue but Lydia cut him off with a stern glare.

“ Oh I know you are not about to suggest I put her in a kennel,” she hissed. 

Derek was thoroughly confused as to what they were arguing about until he saw the small cage sitting on Lydia’s front porch, a tuft of white fur visible through the wire. 

“ Lydia your dog is a menace,” Stiles whined. 

“ Stiles,” Lydia scoffed. “Just because Prada doesn’t like you doesn’t mean she’s a menace.” 

“ Yea, it means she’s a menace  _ with an agenda _ ,” Stiles shouted, flailing his arms for emphasis. 

Lydia just rolled her eyes. 

Then, Jackson came striding out of the house with a piece of red fabric in his hands.

“ I found her blanket,” he told Lydia before bending down to put it into the cage.

Prada let out a soft bark and licked at Jackson’s hand before he shut the cage door again.

Lydia arched her eyebrow at Stiles.

“ She seems to like Jackson just fine,” she told him smugly.

“ Yea, well I’m not going to trust a dog’s judgment that prefers Jackson over me,” Stiles sneered before he turned to stomp away.

When he caught sight of Derek, his face lit up and he made his way over to his friend.

“ Hey big guy!” 

“ I would’ve taken you for a dog person,” Derek greeted with a smirk. 

Stiles' smile fell from his face to be replaced with a scowl.

“I love dogs. Anything of the canine variety honestly. But that _thing_ ,” Stiles pointed over at the cage,” is _not_ a dog! It is a diabolical terror.” 

“ What’d she eat of yours?” Laura asked with a chuckle. 

“ My favorite pair of shoes! And when she was full she peed on what she couldn’t finish,” Stiles whined. 

Laura and Derek shared a look before laughing. 

“ It’s not funny!” Stiles protested. “She is a menace. She may look cute but make one wrong move and she will destroy everything you love,” he warned. 

“ I’ll believe it when I see it,” Laura told him with a friendly ruffle to his hair before heading over to peek into Prada’s cage. 

Stiles glared at Laura’s back before turning his attention back to Derek. 

“ Is that coffee?” Stiles asked, his face lighting up as he snagged the thermos from Derek and took a long drink.

“Yes. Coffee that _I_ intended on drinking,” Derek told him with a scowl. 

“ Oh, sorry,” Stiles apologized with a chuckle as he handed the thermos back. “So are you excited?” Stiles asked with a big grin, bouncing slightly. 

“ Yea I guess,” Derek told him with a shrug.

Stiles just rolled his eyes.

“Geez! Don’t act _too_ excited. You might hurt yourself.” 

“ Are you sure they even want me to come along?” Derek asked quietly, letting Stiles know what had really been bothering him. 

Stiles blinked in surprise.

“ Idiot,” Stiles said affectionately. “There’s an extra space in Lydia’s car so you can ride with us. If you want,” he offered. 

Derek did want so, after he made sure Laura was riding with Isaac, Scott, and Allison, he followed Stiles over to Lydia’s car and threw his bag into the trunk with everyone else’s. He still wasn’t fond of the fact that he had to leave his Camaro behind but there was limited parking at the beach house and after much reassurance from Stiles that his Camaro would be perfectly safe in Lydia’s driveway while they were gone, Derek had grudgingly accepted he wouldn’t be able to drive his baby. 

“Geez. You're worse than Dean Winchester. And  _ that  _ is saying something,” Stiles said with an amused shake of his head. 

Derek just gently shoved his friend toward the car, not caring who or what a Dean Winchester was. 

~*~

Stiles hadn’t really thought out driving with Lydia though because he ended up being caught in the middle between Derek and Prada. 

“ Can’t your beast ride up front with you?” Stiles griped.

“ She’s not a beast!” Lydia shot back, reaching back to hit Stiles on the leg. 

“ Stilinski,” Jackson warned from the driver’s seat. “As the driver, I have full control over whether or not to dump you on the side of the road.” 

Derek glared at the back of Jackson’s head, silently daring him to even try. 

Stiles rolled his eyes, completely unperturbed by Jackson’s threat, before a shuffling from Prada’s cage caught his attention. 

She was sitting at the door of her cage and, if Derek didn’t know better, _glaring_ at Stiles. 

“ I am not afraid of you, you little beast,” Stiles told her with a glare of his own. 

Prada then pulled her mouth back in the start of a growl, which provoked Stiles to then send a short growl back. Prada went quiet, seeming to lose interest, before she lunged at the cage door, barking and snarling at Stiles. Stiles jerked back, pushing himself close to Derek’s side. It took Derek by surprise but he wasn’t going to complain. 

“ Stiles!” Lydia barked. “Stop provoking Prada!”

“ I keep telling you she’s a menace!” Stiles shot back. “She doesn’t need provoking!”

Lydia rolled her eyes, twisting in her seat so she could reach back to Prada, cooing at her (“It’s okay baby. The idiot won’t hurt you.”) until she calmed down. Lydia pulled a small chew bone out of her bag to give to her. Prada yipped in excitement before lying down and daintily chewing on her treat. 

“ There,” Lydia said, glaring at Stiles. “Can you go the rest of the drive without provoking her? I swear. It’s only a three hour drive,” Lydia muttered under her breath as she turned back around. 

“ Stilinski,” Jackson started with an incredulous shake of his head, “only you would be scared by a Papillon of all things.”

Lydia hit Jackson warningly on his arm, effectively shutting him up.

Regardless, Stiles told him to shut up as he started to move himself away from Derek’s side, much to Derek’s dismay. Lydia ordered them all to shush before turning the radio up. 

Derek chuckled at the pout on Stiles’ face before throwing his arm behind Stiles to reach over to Prada’s cage. 

“ I really don’t understand what’s wrong with her,” Derek commented as he got Prada’s attention. 

She jumped back in surprise at the stranger’s hand before sniffing it cautiously. Once she deemed Derek trustworthy she licked at his fingers, and then his hand, before she started softly nibbling on his fingers.

A soft smile formed on Derek’s face and he started gently scratching under her chin. He abruptly stopped when he noticed the accusing stare Stiles was sending his way. 

“ What?”

“ You’re fraternizing with the enemy,” Stiles hissed. 

Derek blinked in surprise before he rolled his eyes, silently laughing to himself. Stiles was ridiculous. 

~*~ 

An hour into their drive, Lydia got a call from Erica asking if they could pull off at the nearest gas station so she could go to the bathroom. Jackson complained about not wanting to stop so Lydia asked Erica to call back when she couldn’t wait any longer. Fifteen minutes later they had all pulled over because Jackson had to go to the bathroom and refused to wait. 

So with Lydia and Stiles both calling Jackson a hypocrite, they all clambered out of the car to go to the bathroom and stretch their legs a bit.

“ Is everyone good on gas?” Jackson asked when they were all ready to get back on the road. “Cause I don’t wanna have to stop again,” he griped. 

“ We stopped because of you dumbass,” Danny reminded him with a swat to the head before hopping into his vehicle with Erica and Boyd. 

Derek climbed back into Lydia’s car, this time in the middle to prevent any more squabbles between Stiles and Prada, and Stiles followed behind him. Derek eyed the plastic bag he now had with him with a raised eyebrow.

“ Snackage,” Stiles explained with a grin.

Derek snorted. Stiles always seemed to be eating. 

He grabbed something out of the bag and then offered an opened bag of chips to Derek. Derek hesitated before taking a small handful. It wasn’t exactly what he’d call lunch but he was hungry.

“ Don’t get crumbs in my car,” Lydia warned. 

Stiles answered by throwing a bag of trail mix into her lap, effectively pleasing the girl into silence.

“ What’d you get me?” Jackson demanded. 

Stiles threw a box of raisins into his lap; breaking into laughter at the glare Jackson sent him through the rearview mirror. Apparently Jackson hated raisins. 

Derek just grabbed another handful of chips, not wanting to drag himself into the argument that was sure to come. 

Stiles and Jackson’s argument was brought to a halting stop with a frightening death threat from Lydia. So after sticking his tongue out at the back of Jackson’s head, Stiles went back to eating his snacks. 

Once Stiles was sufficiently full, he pulled out his phone and put his headphones in. He offered one of the buds to Derek but he just declined with a shake of his head, earning a shrug from Stiles as he started scrolling through his music. Derek was more than content to enjoy the rest of the drive in silence, occasionally sneaking glances at Stiles. 

Derek couldn’t help himself. Stiles was just fascinating to watch. His face would light up when a song he liked he came on. He would bite his lip in concentration when he searched for a different song to listen to. He mouthed along with the lyrics while he tapped out beats and rhythms with his fingers against his thigh. Derek continued to watch him, unbeknownst to Stiles, with a fond smile on his face. 

Lydia and Jackson didn’t find Stiles’ antics nearly as endearing as Derek did; quickly putting an end to Derek’s form of entertainment. 

Stiles ripped his earbuds out and threw his arms up in exasperation, claiming that everyone was against him.

“ Except for my buddy Derek of course,” Stiles amended, giving Derek an affectionate pat to the arm. “He loves me no matter what,” he claimed. 

Derek flushed and tried his hardest not to fidget nervously. Lydia and Jackson both scoffed knowingly, earning a glare from Derek. But, completely unaware, Stiles was silent before he pulled his hood over his head and leaned his head back, in the attempt to fall asleep Derek assumed. 

Whether he did it on purpose or it was due to the natural movement of the car, Stiles ended up using Derek’s shoulder as a pillow. Derek didn’t care either way; though he could’ve done without the small puddle of drool that was forming on his shirt. 

Lydia turned back to check on them, probably because Stiles had actually managed to stay quiet for longer than twenty minutes. A knowing smirk formed on her face, one that Derek pointedly ignored. Clearly she had been talking to Laura. That, or Derek was more obvious about his feelings than he cared to think. 

Lydia pulled her phone out and snapped a picture of the pair, eliciting a warning growl from Derek. Unperturbed, Lydia rolled her eyes and snapped another picture before turning back around.

Derek really hoped they were almost there.

~*~ 

By the time they arrived at the beach house, Stiles’ snoring had driven Jackson to begging Allison to take Stiles on the drive back to Beacon Hills. 

“ He’s over exaggerating right?” Stiles asked. “Right?” he repeated in response to Derek’s silence.

Derek just snorted before he headed over to Laura, Stiles whining, “Derek!” as he trailed behind him. 

“ Hey baby bro!” Laura greeted, throwing her arm over Derek’s shoulders. “Good to see you didn’t kill Stiles on the drive.”

“ I’m not that bad!” Stiles shouted indignantly, stomping his foot like a child.

“ That’s not what Lydia was saying,” Laura teased in a sing-song voice.

“ I need new friends,” Stiles grumbled, glaring at the strawberry blonde as she traipsed past them. 

“ Aww come on Stiles,” Laura chided, releasing Derek to ruffle Stiles’ hair. “We all love you. Don’t we Der?”

Completely ignoring the death glare that Derek was sending her way, Laura heralded the two up onto the patio where everyone was dropping their bags. 

“ Come on Lydia!” Scott griped, bouncing in place. “I’ve gotta take a leak.”

“ You should’ve gone when we stopped then!” Lydia snapped. “I’ll let us in once everyone knows who’s sleeping where so there’s no fighting over space.” 

Scott rolled his eyes, knowing better than to argue with Lydia, while Allison soothingly rubbed his back. 

“ Alright,” Lydia began. “Seeing as how it’s my beach house, Jackson and I are going to take the master upstairs. Laura? Since you’re the oldest, no that’s not a knock on your age, it’s a sign of respect; you can take the room across the hall from us. That leaves the two rooms downstairs. Since this is Stiles’ birthday present, you can have one of the rooms. Anyone you want to room with?” she asked, giving him a look that indicated she already knew who he was going to pick.

“ Derek?” he asked after not so casually clearing his throat. 

Derek’s head snapped towards him in surprise before he shrugged his shoulders, trying not to look too pleased.

“ Yea, sure.” 

“ That leaves one last room, the pull out couch, and the air mattress” Lydia told them, turning to those who didn’t yet have a room. “How do you wanna go about choosing?” 

Erica shrugged, looping her arm with Boyd’s.

“ Scott and Allison can take the last room. We’re alright with the pull out.” 

“ Yea, you guys can take it,” Danny piped in looking at Isaac. “You cool with sharing the air mattress?” 

“ Uh, yea. Sure, sure,” Isaac responded, looking slightly flustered. 

“ Excellent,” Lydia stated, pulling the house key out of her pocket and unlocking the door.

As soon as the door swung open, Scott ran inside, hastily looking for the nearest bathroom.

Stiles started to follow the group inside but was held back by Laura pulling on his arm.

“ Does Isaac like Danny?” she whispered.

Stiles chuckled and shrugged his shoulders. 

“ I think Isaac’s still trying to figure that out for himself. Danny’s letting him take his time. I’m sure it’ll happen eventually.”

“ Huh,” she murmured, letting go of Stiles’ arm. “I was starting to think that Isaac was nursing a crush on me. Anyways, good going on nabbing a room with Derek,” she praised, playfully hitting hip checking him.

“ Laura!” Stiles hissed, looking around to make sure Derek was out of earshot. “It wasn’t like that. I didn’t think he’d be comfortable with anyone else and I doubted he’d want to room with you.” 

“ Right,” Laura scoffed. “You keep telling yourself that.” 

She flicked him affectionately on the forehead before grabbing her bag off of the deck and heading inside. Stiles trailed in after her, catching the tail end of Lydia’s  _ you break it, you buy it speech. _

He saw Scott and Allison head through an open door with their bags so he figured the other open door led to his and Derek’s room. Sure enough, Derek was already in there setting his stuff down.

“ Hey roomie,” Stiles greeted.

Derek just nodded at him without saying anything, which made Stiles’ nervousness spike. 

“ Okay, so,” Stiles started, pacing in front of the bed, “I didn’t mean to force you into rooming with me or anything. I just didn’t think you’d want to room with anyone else, you see? But you know what happens when you assume. If you want to trade with someone, that’s perfectly okay! Or you could room with Laura. Or I could room with Laura. I don’t really care.”

Derek watched his friend in confusion, an amused smirk spreading across his face as Stiles’ arms flailed about as he talked. Derek let him continue on for another moment before deciding to put a stop to Stiles’ nervous chatter.

“ Stiles?” Derek prompted. “Are you done yet?”

Stiles’ pacing and flailing came to a screeching halt, his mouth snapping shut as he stopped to look at Derek. 

“ I don’t want to room with anyone else. Okay?” 

Stiles blinked in surprise before sharing a shy grin.

“ Yea, okay,” Stiles said softly. 

Derek grinned back. He was trying to think of something to say to break the silence but then Erica popped her head into the room. 

“ Hey boys. Lydia wants you Stiles” she greeted, eyeing them curiously when they both jumped at the sound of her voice, before popping her head back out.

Derek looked at Stiles questioningly, who just shrugged before heading out to the living room to talk to Lydia.

“ Stiles, you’ve got shopping duty,” she told him, holding her credit card out to him between two fingers. “You know what everyone likes. Just don’t buy too much. I don’t want anything to go to waste.”

“ You got it,” Stiles told her with a wink before looking at Derek. “Come with?” 

Derek wasn’t much of a shopper but the hopeful look on Stiles' face, and some threatening glares from his friends, had Derek agreeing to go regardless. 

Derek followed Stiles out of the house but stopped when Stiles kept walking.

“ Uh, Stiles? Don’t we need a car?”

Stiles stopped and turned back to Derek.

“ No need. Stores up the road and around the corner,” Stiles told him, nodding his head in that direction. “We can carry what we get.” 

“ You’ve come here before?” Derek asked as they started walking.

“ Hmm? Oh, yea. It’s been a few years though. Last time Lydia and Scott’s mom came with us. They didn’t trust us to all come alone,” Stiles grumbled.

Derek snorted. “I wonder why.”

“ Hey!” Stiles cried indignantly, playfully hitting Derek’s arm. 

Derek retaliated by shoving him away slightly. Stiles just laughed before falling back into step beside Derek.

“ Anyways, we all wanted to come here after we graduated but it just didn’t happen. Everyone was too busy. Spending time with family. Getting ready for school. Stuff like that. So this is really more of a gift for everyone than it is for me,” Stiles finished with a shrug. 

“ It’s nice. How close you all are, I mean,” Derek clarified. “I’ve never had anything like that.” 

“ You do now,” Stiles told him sincerely.

Derek looked at him with a strange expression, which made Stiles’ face flush in embarrassment. 

“ Look! The store!” Stiles pointed out louder than necessary before he started running ahead. 

Derek watched him in amusement before he realized Stiles wasn’t paying attention to where he was going.

“ Dammit Stiles…” Derek muttered as he went after his friend.

“ There’s traffic you idiot!” Derek growled into Stiles’ ear as he wrapped an arm around Stiles’ front to pull him away from the road and back against his chest.

“ I had plenty of time to get across,” Stiles grumbled into Derek’s arm.

He wasn’t complaining too much though. Derek was holding him for Christ’s sake! Stiles was perfectly content to just stand there all day. But Derek had different plans and let go of Stiles way too quickly.

“ Just…Be careful alright?” Derek asked, looking more concerned than Stiles expected. 

“ Why Derek,” Stiles started as they crossed the road once traffic had halted and headed into the store, batting his lashes, “I didn’t realize you cared so much.”

Derek flushed and quickly started stammering.

“ I don’t – I mean – I just –“ Derek’s mouth slammed shut when he noticed the teasing glint in Stiles’ eyes. 

“ Oh shut up,” Derek told him exasperatedly. “Do you realize how many different ways your friends and Laura would hurt me if I brought you back  _ damaged _ ? I was just trying to avoid that.”

“ Uh-huh, sure you were Der. I totally believe you,” Stiles replied with an eye roll.

“ Let’s just grab some food and go,” Derek grumbled.

And then, taking Derek completely by surprise, Stiles started laughing.

“ What?” Derek demanded. 

“ Nothing” Stiles breathed. “Just remembering the first time we were in a store together.” 

Derek found him himself blushing. Again.

“ You were so  _ mean _ ,” Stiles continued, grabbing items as they walked through the store.

“ I wasn’t mean,” Derek argued. 

“You made me call you an asshole. Loudly. _In public_ Derek.”

“ I was having a bad day?” Derek suggested.

“You were having a bad _month_ until I got on your good side,” Stiles corrected.

Derek didn’t bother responding. He had his reasons for his past behavior. 

“ Any snacks you want?” Stiles asked after they had walked around the store in silence for a while.

Derek took a moment to think before he shook his head.

“ Alright. Then I think we’re done,” Stiles told him as he started to turn the cart towards the checkout.

Derek quickly glanced at the cart before stopping to raise an eyebrow at his friend.

“ Really Stiles?” he asked incredulously. 

“ What? Is it not enough?” Stiles asked with a sincere frown.

Derek was astounded.

“It’s _more_ than enough.” 

Stiles blinked before he started shaking his head, quietly laughing to himself. 

“ Derek,” Stiles chided. “You’ve been around us enough to know we love our food. Hell, you’ve seen me eat. You know I could probably consume half of this myself.” 

Stiles had a point. 

“ I still don’t see how,” Derek commented, eyeing Stiles’ thin frame.

“ Hey! We can’t all be as muscular and look as good as you do big guy,” Stiles shot back indignantly, slightly hunching over self-consciously as he continued on to the registers. 

Derek totally didn’t stand a little straighter, walk a little taller in response to that comment. 

~*~

When they got back to the house, the girls were already laying out and catching some sun while the guys were a little farther up the beach. 

“ Took you long enough,” Lydia commented when they walked up, not looking up from the magazine she was flipping through.

“ She means thank you,” Allison added, giving Lydia a chiding look as she finished putting on some sunscreen. 

“ Love you too Lyds,” Stiles told her, making his way up to the porch before coming to a sudden stop and turning back to her. “Where’s the beast?” 

“ Inside,” she told him with a dismissive flick of her hand. “She’s got free reign just like we do.” 

“ Great. You’ve gone and turned the house into a danger zone,” Stiles snapped.

“ Only for you love,” Lydia told him, not sounding the least bit concerned.

Stiles just made a face at her before taking a deep breath and heading inside the house. Derek chuckled to himself as he followed after him. Sure enough, there Prada was, lying on the couch and chewing on one of her toys. She lifted her head up when they entered the room, gave a quick warning growl, and then went back to her toy. 

“ Monster,” Stiles muttered as he headed into the kitchen.

Derek dumped the bag of groceries on the peninsula and then was unsure what he should do.

“ Do you need help?” Derek asked as Stiles started flitting around the kitchen to put everything away.

“ Nope,” Stiles told him without breaking stride. “It’ll go a lot faster if I just do it myself.”

Derek hesitated before shrugging his shoulders and heading over to where Prada was perched. He held his hand out for her to sniff again before he started petting her. She seemed uninterested at first, continuing to chew on her toy, but then she hopped up to crawl into Derek’s lap. She reared up on her hind legs and placed her front paws on his chest to give his chin a few licks. Derek had a soft smile on his face, completely content to just keep petting her until a soft laugh from Stiles drew his attention.

“ That’d almost be cute if it weren’t for the fact that Satan was in your lap,” Stiles told him, leaning over the peninsula, an almost reluctant smile on his face.

“ She’s really not that bad,” Derek argued with a huff.

Prada wasn’t a fan of the attention being taken off of her, head butting Derek’s hand for more pets. Stiles rolled his eyes at the scene.

“ She’s got you and everyone wrapped around her little paws but I’m not fooled. I know her game.” 

“ You’re ridiculous,” Derek told him with an eye roll. 

“ I have a very keen eye for evil,” Stiles corrected. 

Stiles watched his friend play with the bane of his existence before clapping his hands together.

“ Alright. Let’s go get changed. We did not come here to hang around inside.” 

Derek nodded in agreement and gave Prada one last pet before standing up. Prada yipped and whined in complaint but laid back down when she realized that Derek wasn’t going to sit back down. 

“ I’ll go change in the bathroom,” Stiles told him, grabbing his trunks from his bag.

Derek agreed, quickly turning away to hide the blush that had risen at the thought of Stiles naked. 

“ You decent?” Stiles called as he approached their room after he was done changing. 

“ Yea,” Derek called back, sounding amused. 

“ What’s so funny?” Stiles asked as he entered the room but then froze in his tracks as Derek was pulling his shirt off. Stiles breathed, “Oh wow…” 

Admittedly, Derek shirtless was a magnificent sight that would render anyone with eyes speechless but that’s not what had Stiles impressed. Well, it wasn’t the _only_ thing that had Stiles impressed. 

“ What?” Derek asked as he started to turn towards Stiles but then froze when he realized Stiles had walked up behind him and was reaching for his back. 

Stiles hesitantly reached out to trace the thick, black ink that curved and danced over between Derek’s shoulder blades. At the unfamiliar contact, Derek had tensed up but then slowly relaxed into Stiles’ touch.

“ I didn’t know you had a tattoo,” Stiles whispered as he continued to trace the spirals. 

“ Yea, well you’ve never seen me without a shirt on either,” Derek quipped, trying to sound unaffected.

“ Smartass,” Stiles called him with a chuckle. “It’s a triskelion right?”

Derek was momentarily stunned into silence. It wasn’t that it was an uncommon thing to know about; Derek just wasn’t used to people knowing what his tattoo was and what it meant. Even the tattoo artist had been baffled until Derek explained exactly what it was he wanted. 

“ Yea,” Derek finally responded, his voice sounding wobbly. 

“ Oh sorry,” Stiles apologized, quickly pulling back his hand when he realized he was being intrusive. 

Derek inhaled deeply to calm himself before turning his body so that he could look Stiles in the eye.

“ There’s nothing to be sorry for,” Derek told him sincerely in a soft voice.

Stiles didn’t have anything to say so he stayed quiet, not wanting to break the silence or eye contact. He didn’t want to do anything that would shatter the moment or whatever it was that was happening. 

But naturally, that was when Scott came running in the house to get Stiles.

“ Hey man,” Scott said as he walked into their room, oblivious to how Stiles and Derek jumped away from each other. “We’re about to start a game of volleyball. You comin?” 

“ Y-Yeah,” Stiles stammered, avoiding looking at Derek as he followed Scott out onto the beach. “I’m right behind you buddy.”

Stiles started to follow Scott down the beach but stopped when he realized Derek wasn’t walking with them. Stiles turned back to see Derek still standing on the porch, looking uncertain. 

“ You coming big guy?” Stiles asked, shuffling his feet in the sand. 

“ Maybe later,” Derek told him after a moment’s hesitation. “I’ll just watch for now.” 

Stiles looked crestfallen, making the girls’ heads snap in Derek’s direction, before forcing a smile and running after Scott. 

“ What was that about?” Laura demanded once he was out of earshot. 

“ Drop it Laura,” Derek grumbled as he sat on the top step of the porch, bending his head to yank his hands through his hair. 

“ Der,” Laura started condescendingly, “you know me better than that don’t you?”

“ It’s none of your business,” Derek told her with a glare. 

Laura just laughed quietly to herself.

“My brother’s happiness, or lack thereof, is _totally_ my business.”

“ I’m completely happy,” Derek snapped, his tone of voice contradicting the statement. 

Laura just gave him a pitying look but thankfully decided to drop it as she went back to tanning herself in silence. Lydia however had something to add.

“ Idiot.” 

Derek gave a resigned sigh and ran his hand down his face.

“ What?”

“ I said idiot,” she repeated, lowering her sunglasses to look at him. “You’re an idiot. He’s an idiot. The both of you are idiots.”

“ And why is that exactly?” he asked dreadfully.

“ The fact that you have to ask proves my point,” she told him dismissively as she went back to flipping through her magazine. 

“ Anything you two have to add?” Derek grumbled at Erica and Allison. 

Erica quirked an eyebrow at Derek.

“ I’m going to ignore that you took that tone with me but for future reference? Don’t do it again.” 

Allison swatted Erica on the shoulder who just shrugged at her innocently. Allison rolled her eyes before turning one of her signature dimpled smiles on Derek. 

“ I think you should go join the game. Stiles clearly wanted you to and besides, it looks like they’re in need of another player,” she told him as she nodded her head towards where the boys were gathered. 

Derek followed her gaze and sure enough Boyd was making his way back towards Erica. His eyes locked on Stiles who was looking back at them. Stiles raised his arm in a timid wave and even from the distance; Derek could tell that he had broken into a pleased smile when Derek waved back. 

“ Go get him tiger!” Laura ordered as he stood to make his way up to Stiles.

“ Shut up,” Derek growled at her, ignoring the other girls’ laughter. 

“ Hey big guy,” Stiles greeted, completely unconcerned about the awkwardness from earlier. 

“ Hey. So, uh, volleyball?” Derek asked uncertainly, earning an amused chuckle from Stiles. 

“ I’d say yes but Jackson and Danny are arguing about the rules,” Stiles told him, nodding at the pair.

“ That’s cause the rules are stupid!” Jackson bellowed.

“ Just because they prevent you from winning doesn’t mean they’re stupid,” Danny countered, snatching the ball out of Jackson’s hands. 

“ Complaining about the rules because someone’s a sore loser? Now that’s stupid,” Isaac supplied, sharing a laugh with Scott. 

“ Screw all of you,” Jackson huffed, turning to head back towards the girls. 

“ So just us then?” Stiles asked, unconcerned with Jackson’s retreat.

Derek would’ve liked to say that he enjoyed the next few hours they spent lobbing the ball back and forth over the net. He should’ve enjoyed it. He was an active guy and it was time with Stiles, something he’d never say no to. But he just couldn’t stop his jealousy from rearing its ugly head every time Scott would pull Stiles into a hug, Isaac would slap him on the back, or when Danny would pull him into a headlock. Derek barely restrained himself from pulling Danny away by his neck when he apologized for spiking the ball into the back of Stiles’ head with a peck to the cheek. 

The attention didn’t faze Stiles one bit though. He was having the time of his life with his friends; laughing and smiling, returning their affection without second thought. The only time he would hesitate was when he would turn to Derek to make him feel included, knowing that Derek wasn’t as comfortable with those interactions. 

So Derek barely managed to hide his sigh of relief when Stiles' request for one more game was denied. 

“ Nah, it’s kind of lost the appeal,” Danny negated as he started to spin the ball on his fingertip before letting it fall to the sand. “I was just gonna swim for a bit. Race to the buoy?” he asked Isaac with a challenging stare. 

“ You’re on,” Isaac told him, running for the water. 

“ Hey bro, it looks like you’re starting to burn,” Scott told Stiles, pointing out the light red blotches forming on his face and shoulders.

Stiles twisted to look at his shoulders and just shrugged.

“ It doesn’t look that bad. I put some sunscreen on so I’m not too worried. Go long,” he told his best friend, pointing out towards the ocean as he grabbed a Frisbee out of Danny’s bag. 

Scott did just that as Stiles threw it, hopping up and catching the disk before it fell to the waves. 

“ You just gonna stand there and watch?” Stiles asked Derek, running up a few feet to catch the Frisbee as it soared back at him. “Or you gonna play?”

“ What’s the point?” Derek asked, quirking an eyebrow.

“ To have fun,” Stiles scoffed. “Go on! Go get it boy!” he encouraged as he flicked the disk back to Scott.

“ I’m not a dog!” Derek snapped. 

“ Sure you aren’t buddy,” Stiles teased, laughing as he looked over at Derek. 

Derek grinned at him but then rolled his eyes as he stepped forward and reached his arm out, deftly catching the Frisbee before it careened into Stiles’ head.

“ Pay attention,” Derek chided, gently tapping the disk on the top of Stiles’ head. 

Stiles smiled in thanks, taking the disk out of Derek’s hand.

“ Only if you play,” he bargained, inclining his head towards the ocean.

Derek shot him an unamused look before giving in and striding out into the ocean a few feet down from Scott. 

Derek’s mood started to improve greatly after that. Stiles’ attention was focused mostly on him and after spending a bit more time with him, Derek had decided that Scott was a cool guy. It was easy to see why they were best friends. They were probably the only two people that could keep up with each other. 

And due to his improved mood, instead of getting jealous, he had to fight to hold back laughter when Allison and Lydia ambushed Stiles to rub more sunscreen on him much to his dismay (“God I’m not five!”). They both gave him an apologetic hug before he shrugged them off, giggling as they scampered back up to the house. 

“ Control your girlfriends!” Stiles shouted, aiming an accusing glare at Scott and then Jackson.

Jackson just rolled his eyes while Scott was doubled over in laughter. Stiles told himself it wasn’t his fault that Scott got hit in the head with the Frisbee. He should’ve been paying attention. 

That actually made Derek laugh audibly getting a surprised look from Scott after he threw the disc back to Stiles and a pleased grin from Stiles as he brought his arm back to toss the Frisbee Derek’s way. Derek stepped up to catch it but then got pushed aside, toppling over into the water, as Danny and Isaac came flying in front of him as they both tried to catch it. 

“ Oh sorry Derek,” Danny apologized with a grin. “Didn’t think we were that close to you.” 

“ Clearly,” Derek deadpanned, flicking his wet hair out of his eyes to glare at the two. 

“ He’s just upset that we blocked his view of his boyfriend,” Isaac teased, elbowing Danny lightly in the ribs. 

Derek let out a low growl at that, making the pair hold up their hands as they fought back laughter. 

“ He won’t kill us will he?” Isaac whispered.

“I don’t _think_ so,” Danny whispered back. 

Derek just rolled his eyes. Deciding he was done for the day, he turned and trudged back to shore.

“ Tired already?” Stiles teased as Derek walked by him, earning him a playful shove to the shoulder. 

He made his way back to the house, deciding to shower and change before heading back outside. 

The girls, Jackson, and Boyd were debating over whether to go out or eat in that night; not caring either way, Derek walked back over to where the guys were now jumping in the waves and took a seat a ways from the water. Derek had brought a book with him but after a few minutes of fighting with the breeze to keep the page flat he decided it wasn’t worth the trouble and set the book down. 

Derek tried just watching Stiles but after a few minutes he realized just how creepy that was. Besides, it was irritating him how much Isaac and Danny were hanging all over Stiles. Thankfully Laura walked up to him just then so he could focus on her instead.

“ Hey baby bro,” she greeted, taking a seat next to him. 

“ Hey.” 

“ What happened?” she asked with a concerned look.

“ What do you mean what happened?” he responded evasively. 

“ Don’t patronize me Der,” she scolded, gently swatting at his arm. “You were out there with them, seeming to be having a good time and then you stormed inside. Now you’re sitting out here all by yourself. So, what happened?” 

“ Nothing,” he told her with a shrug. “I just got tired of the water.”

“ You could’ve talked with us,” Laura pushed. 

“ I’m not that comfortable with them.”

“ And you never will be if you never try,” she pointed out. 

“ I just don’t feel like they want me here,” Derek told her, repeating his worry from this morning. 

“ _Stiles_ wants you here,” she reminded him gently. 

“ Clearly,” Derek bit out, letting his eyes wander back to Stiles and his friends. 

Laura followed his gaze, understanding dawning on her before she rolled her eyes at her brother.

“ Oh grow up Derek!” she ordered. “I’m serious!” she repeated when he turned his head away from her. 

“ Just because Stiles isn’t spending every second with you doesn’t mean he doesn’t want you here.”

“ I know,” Derek grumbled, knowing full well how ridiculous he was being. 

Unaware of Derek’s admission, Laura continued berating him. 

“ Because he does want you here. A lot. Way more than you realize.”

“ Laura-“

“ And maybe you’d actually know that if, instead of sitting here being  _ unnecessarily jealous _ , you’d actually tell him how you feel!” 

“ Dammit Laura we’ve talked about this!” 

“ And clearly that talk didn’t help whatsoever so here we are, having it again!” Laura hissed. 

Derek’s head snapped in Laura’s direction, a menacing glare distorting his face as he stood up.

“ For the last time Laura, this is none of your business! I am not going to mess up this friendship with Stiles so please. Just. Fucking. Drop. It!” 

Laura glared right back and opened her mouth to retort but then she just threw her hands up in defeat before she pushed herself up off of the sand and marched back to the house, more than likely cursing Derek with every step. 

And naturally, because the universe _hated_ him, that was when Stiles decided to approach Derek.

“ Hey big guy!” he called when he got close.

“ _What!?”_ Derek snarled, rounding on Stiles with misdirected rage. 

Stiles halted in his tracks, his smile,  _ Derek’s favorite thing _ , instantly falling from his face. Derek instantly wanted to take it back and apologize but he didn’t know how.

“ Forget it,” Stiles responded in a hollow tone.

Derek couldn’t read the expression on Stiles’ face before he turned his back on him and stalked back to the house. A minute later, a concerned looking Scott ran after Stiles, taking a moment to send a glare Derek’s way. 

Derek cursed under his breath as he kicked at the sand. Derek wanted to go after Stiles but he didn’t think Scott would let him anywhere near the boy. Besides, it wouldn’t really help anything if he talked to Stiles while he was still mad. He gave himself a moment to take a breather.

“ I’d wait a bit longer if I were you.”

Isaac’s voice sounded from behind him as he started to walk back to the house. He turned to look at the curly headed blond.

“ And why’s that?” Derek asked when it appeared that Isaac wasn’t going to explain himself. 

Isaac just shrugged, taking his time before answering.

“ I’ve known Stiles longer than you – Don’t look at me like that because it’s true – And I’ve seen him angry and hurt a few times. The guy can hold a grudge. Let him cool off for a bit before you talk to him. But hey, that’s just this guy’s opinion.”

And with another shrug, Isaac headed back up to the house, Danny jogging past to catch up to him. 

Derek thought it over and decided that it couldn’t hurt to heed Isaac’s advice. He thought about heading up to the house where everyone seemed to be gathering now, but decided against it. Stiles was there and he was supposed to be giving him some space. Everyone probably knew what had happened so Derek doubted he would be welcomed. Besides, the thought of being confronted by any of the girls was more terrifying than encountering Stiles right now. Derek would have to wait.

And so he did.

~*~

An hour turned into two hours and then turned into three. Derek was sure that he had waited long enough but it had gotten to the point where he was scared to go looking for Stiles. What if Stiles wouldn’t let him apologize? What if Stiles hated him now? What if Stiles didn’t want to be his friend anymore?

He dropped his head into his hands and pulled at his hair in frustration. Laura was so going to drown him in the ocean. He pulled at his hair even more. 

Derek was saved from going bald by the appearance of Lydia. She stood in front of him, her arms crossed as she drummed her fingers, giving Derek the most judgmental look. 

“ Would you just go talk to him already?  _ Please _ ?” she gritted out as if it pained her to be polite. 

Derek just gave her a blank look.

“ What?”

She rolled her eyes, everything about her body language screamed that she wanted to be doing anything but this.

“ He’s sulking. He won’t talk to anyone. He won’t listen to anyone. He hasn’t eaten since the car and dammit I’m worried about him okay? So I don’t care what you did or said, go talk to him! Cause if you don’t I will drag you over to him by your collar!” she threatened, a terrifying gleam in her eye that he usually associated with his sisters. 

He just continued to sit there, staring at her blankly.

“ Now!” she demanded after a moment before storming back to the house. 

Derek stared after her before sighing and standing up. Now was as good a time as any he supposed. Still, he took his time walking back up to the house where everyone pointedly ignored him; everyone besides Lydia who gave him a smug look before pointing up the beach to where Stiles was sitting. 

Derek hesitated but with Lydia, and now Erica and Laura, glaring daggers at him he gave a resigned sigh before slowly approaching Stiles. 

Stiles was sitting a ways from the ocean, poking at the sand rather forcefully with a stick. He must’ve changed before coming out here because he was dry and fully clothed. 

“ Stiles?” Derek asked quietly when he stopped next to the boy.

Stiles didn’t respond, only stopping his sand poking to briefly glance at Derek out of the corner of his eye before continuing. Derek was disappointed but not deterred. He gave a sigh and then sat down in the sand next to Stiles. Stiles glanced at him once more but other than that he was acting as if Derek wasn’t even there. 

Derek was determined to wait out Stiles’ silence, knowing full well that Stiles would break eventually, but the sound of the stick repeatedly hitting the sand had Derek cracking first. 

“ Are you picturing the sand as my face?” 

“ Maybe,” Stiles finally conceded after a stretch of awkward silence. 

“ I don’t blame you,” Derek told him, nodding in understanding.

Stiles started to turn to properly look at Derek but when Derek turned to catch his eye, Stiles quickly looked away. 

“ Come on Stiles,” Derek groaned. “I was an ass. You know that. I know that. But I didn’t mean it. I was frustrated with Laura and I took it out on you. I’m sorry.” 

Derek could tell by the way Stiles was now sitting that he was paying rapt attention to everything Derek was saying but there was still no response. He was too damn stubborn sometimes. Derek sighed as he tried to think of what to say.

“ You might wanna forgive me or this might be the last time we ever talk,” Derek warned. 

Surprisingly, that was what finally got through to Stiles.

“ What!? Why!?” he yelped, head snapping to look at Derek. 

Derek ignored the question, choosing instead to give Stiles a smug smile.

“ So you’re talking to me again?”

“ Don’t avoid the question! Why wouldn’t we talk again?” he repeated, punctuating the demand with a slap to Derek’s arm. 

Derek shrugged, fighting back an amused smile. 

“ Laura threatened to drown me if I ruined your weekend.” 

Stiles stared at Derek incredulously and gave a relieved sigh before dropping his head onto Derek’s shoulder, taking the older by surprise.

“ Don’t scare me like that,” Stiles breathed under his breath, just loud enough for Derek to hear. 

Derek wasn’t sure what to do. He tried to think of something to say, he even considered just taking Stiles into his arms and telling him the truth, but then Stiles was pulling away and clearing his throat.

“ We should – uh – we should go back to the house,” Stiles told him, flashing Derek a smile as he stood up and starting brushing the sand off of his shorts. 

The smile seemed off to Derek but he chose to let it go; mimicking Stiles as he stood and started to head back to the house. Stiles surprised Derek by suddenly jumping onto his back as they walked. 

“ What the hell Stiles?” Derek growled as he regained his balance.

“ You owe me a piggyback ride,” Stiles laughed into his ear as he tightened his hold on Derek’s neck. 

“ I will dump you into the ocean,” Derek threatened as he hiked Stiles up higher so he had a better grip, contradicting his statement. 

“ No you won’t,” Stiles told him confidently as he rested his chin on Derek’s shoulder. 

Derek rolled his eyes and huffed in mock annoyance as he carried Stiles back to the house; ignoring Stiles smug laughter every step of the way. 

“ So am I forgiven?” Derek asked before they were within earshot of their friends. 

“ Course big guy,” Stiles assured him as he slid off of Derek’s back.

Stiles winked before heading over to a concerned looking Scott who clapped him on the back and gave him a quick hug. Lydia then came marching over and barked at him to eat before sending an appreciative grin Derek’s way. How she managed to also look intimidating was beyond him. Derek then took a seat next to a very smug Laura.

“ Shut up,” he grumbled as he grabbed a beer out of a nearby cooler.

“ I didn’t say a word,” she said innocently, taking a sip of her own beer.

“ No but you were thinking it.”

Laura just laughed before leaning into her brother. Derek scowled at the top of her head before his lips quirked into a smile. A flash from across the room caught his attention. He glanced up and saw Stiles was pointing his phone at them.

“ Stiles,” Laura complained. “That’s my job. I probably look like hell.”

“ Nonsense,” Stiles told her as he started tapping on his phone. “You’re always flawless and you know it. You two just looked too cute. I’m sure Peter and Cora will love it.” 

Sure enough Laura’s phone started going off as their sister and uncle liked and commented. 

“ You’re right,” Laura said appreciatively after studying the picture. “I do look flawless.” 

Derek just rolled his eyes while everyone else’s laughter floated through the room. 

The rest of the night was spent lounging in the living room; mini conversations happening as they all talked at once. Derek was surprised that he was actually enjoying himself. Usually by now he’d have an excuse to retreat to his room and just read for the rest of the night but each time Stiles smiled at him, Derek was just as happy to stay put as the hours went on. 

“ You know, if you don’t want him to know how you feel you might want to stop staring at him like he’s the sun,” Laura whispered to him as they all started to get up to head to bed.

Derek flushed, snapping his attention to her with a glare. 

“ Just saying,” she told him with a shrug as she started to head for the stairs. 

Derek, feeling brave, reached out and mussed her hair. Laura turned, a sound of indignation hissing through her teeth. Derek quickly escaped to his room before she could retaliate any further. A moment later Stiles’ laughter followed him into the room. 

“Dude! Laura did _not_ look happy!” 

Derek just shrugged, a smug grin taking over his face. 

“ She was asking for it.” 

“ Hey, it’s your life big guy,” Stiles told him before popping his toothbrush into his mouth and leaving the room again. 

After Derek was done with his turn in the bathroom, he came back to the room to find Stiles already laying down. When he caught sight of Derek, he set down the book he was reading and gestured nervously at the bed.

“ Is this alright? I wasn’t sure if you preferred a certain side of the bed. I didn’t even think of that until I’d already gotten comfortable. But we can switch if you wa-“

“ Stiles,” Derek interrupted as he put his stuff away, sending Stiles a reassuring smile. “It's fine.” 

“ Yea,” Stiles whispered, ducking his head in embarrassment. 

Derek chuckled to himself before hitting the lights and sliding under the covers. He shuffled around to get comfortable and was about to shut his eyes until Stiles got his attention.

“ Hey Derek?”

“ Yea?” Derek asked as he started to turn over.

Instead of Stiles’ face, he was met with a blinding light and Stiles’ laughter.

“ Dammit Stiles!” Derek growled as he squeezed his eyes shut and tried to recover from the phone's flash. 

“ That’s kind of fun,” Stiles commented as he looked at the picture he had just taken. “I think I’m starting to get the appeal.”

Stiles glanced up to smile apologetically at Derek but was hit with a pillow instead.

“ Go to sleep!” Derek ordered, not intimidating Stiles in the slightest. 

“ Geez. Someone’s touchy when they’re tired,” Stiles told him, the amusement clear in his voice. “Alright,” he acquiesced. “Good night, big guy.” 

Derek’s last thought before sleep overtook him was how he could easily get used to falling asleep beside Stiles. Minus being blinded of course. 

  
  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter will be up on October 2nd. See you then!
> 
> Hope you are enjoying!
> 
> Come say hi and hang out: https://1gurgi1.tumblr.com/


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Teen Wolf belongs to MTV and Jeff Davis

“ Hey you two!” Laura greeted from the stove as she made breakfast when Derek and Stiles came shuffling out of their room. “Sleep well?” 

They both grunted in dissent.

“ Stiles stole my pillow,” Derek grumbled as he collapsed onto the couch.

“ Yea well Derek hogged the covers,” Stiles added as he hopped onto a stool at the breakfast bar. 

“ Something they’ll have to work out in the future,” Boyd murmured to Erica after sliding a mug of coffee Stiles’ way. 

Stiles’ brain was still too fogged with sleep to hear so he shot her a confused look when she let out a bark of laughter. Erica just smiled, wagging her nails in his direction. 

“ Something smells good,” Lydia commented as she came traipsing down the stairs. “What’s for breakfast?” 

“ Omelets,” Laura answered with a smile as Jackson pulled Lydia to his side and kissed her temple. Derek started to say something but Laura cut him off. “Yes Derek. I know. No mushrooms.” 

Derek just glared and Laura responded by sticking her tongue out at him. 

“ So what’s on the agenda for today?” Laura asked when they were all done with breakfast.

“ Well since it’s Fourth of July, Scott and I were going to head into town and get some fireworks for tonight,” Allison announced before heading into the bathroom.

“ We’re going to fire up the grill for dinner. Danny and Jackson are in charge of that,” Lydia said, earning agreeing nods from them both. 

“ Can I help?” Stiles piped in, earning a resounding no from the group.

Derek chuckled, earning a glare from his friend. 

“ We’re also gonna have a bonfire going tonight. Other than that you can do whatever the hell you want,” Erica stated.

Stiles noticed how Laura and Derek both tensed and shared a look at the mention of the bonfire but decided not to say anything. Stiles was distracted from changing the subject at the sound of Lydia’s voice. 

“ Stiles,” Lydia started with a chastising tone as she approached him, “please make sure to put on more sunscreen today. You’re already starting to look pink.”

Stiles ducked out of her reach before she could reach for his neck. It was already starting to feel sensitive after yesterday’s exposure to the sun but he didn’t need anyone else knowing that. 

“ I’m fine Lydia.”

Lydia glared at him before shrugging her shoulders in disinterest.

“ Fine. But when – not if,  _ when _ –  you get sunburnt, don’t come crying to me.” 

And with a flick of her hair, she grabbed Jackson by his wrist and went upstairs to change for the day. Apparently that was the cue for everyone else to do the same seeing as how they all headed for their rooms as well. 

~*~

“ Will you and Laura be okay tonight?” Stiles asked quietly from where they were sitting on the porch.

Everyone else had made their way down to the water and were squealing and laughing as they splashed each other with water. Stiles had wanted to join them but he noticed Derek falling back and decided to sit and talk with him instead. 

Derek had been reading but the book lay in his lap forgotten, his eyes closed as he enjoyed the cool breeze on his face. At the sound of Stiles’ voice, Derek’s eyes slowly opened and he stared at Stiles as he thought of how to answer. 

“ Probably not,” he finally breathed, deciding he might as well be honest. “We’ll both probably slip away for the night. It’s not something we’ll want to be around.”

Stiles nodded in understanding. He got that. He did. But he still didn’t want to lose that time with Derek. Did that make him selfish?

“ I can try to talk them into not having a bonfire,” Stiles suggested. 

“ No,” Derek negated, his voice firm. 

“ But-“

“ No Stiles. You’d have to explain why and I just – I don’t want their pity okay? We’ll be fine by ourselves for a few hours. You guys can still have fun.” 

Stiles just nodded but he still wished there was something he could do. Derek’s expression softened when he glanced back at his friend.

“ The way you are looking at me? That’s what I’m trying to avoid.” 

“ I know. I just want you to be okay,” Stiles told him with a small grin. 

Derek’s expression morphed into one of confusion.

“ Why are you so worried about me?” 

Stiles instantly thought of Derek walking away from him after going to the movies and flinched. 

“ Maybe I’m just scared of you going away again,” Stiles blurted out, not really thinking of the words that came out of his mouth.

Once his brain caught up his mouth, Stiles flushed in embarrassment and Derek blinked in surprise. Thankfully Scott came running up just then, saving Stiles from explaining exactly what he had meant. 

“ Hey buddy!” Scott greeted, plopping down into one of the empty chairs. “Wanna come into town with me and Allison?”

“ You have no idea,” Stiles muttered as he quickly scrambled out of his chair and back into the house to throw on a shirt and shoes. 

Stiles gave a sigh of relief when he came back outside and saw that Derek was down on the beach talking with Laura. He hoped that by the time he got back, Derek had forgotten all about his little outburst. 

~*~ 

“ So what’s going on with you and Derek?” Allison asked, taking a sip of her water. 

Stiles nearly spilled his drink, the question making him jump in surprise. 

Stiles had been having a good time. Allison had wanted to do some shopping while they were in town so Scott and Stiles just talked and joked around as she perused the shops. Then they had stopped and grabbed some sparklers and other small fireworks for the night before stopping into a restaurant for lunch. The conversation with Derek had been pushed from his mind but Allison’s question had it crashing back to the front of his thoughts. 

“ W-What do you mean?” Stiles asked, trying to sound nonchalant. 

Allison rolled her eyes at him. 

“ Don’t play dumb. You two. At the beach. Lots of alone time together. I mean you’re even sharing a room. It’s the perfect time for some romance to happen,” she finished with a shrug. 

Stiles scoffed and leaned back in the booth. 

“ I have a feeling that Derek isn’t exactly a romance kind of guy,” Stiles grumbled. “And it’s not like he feels that way about me in the first place so even if he is there isn’t any romance to be had.”

Scott and Allison both gave him a _you-can’t-be-serious_ look. 

“ What?” Stiles demanded of them as their waitress appeared with their food. 

“Well you can’t _know_ that he doesn’t feel that way about you,” Allison argued. “I mean have you told him how you feel? Or asked him how he feels?” 

“ No!” Stiles snapped, taking an angry bite out of his sandwich. 

“ Why not?” Scott asked. 

“ Cause I’d rather avoid that specific brand of humiliation thank you very much,” Stiles explained as if it were obvious. 

“But how can you _know_ without telling him?” Allison insisted, earning a frustrated sigh from Stiles. 

He didn’t bother dignifying her with a response and devoted his attention to his food. Stiles figured Allison had taken the hint to drop the subject seeing as how she didn’t bring it up for the rest of their afternoon.

“ Will you just think about it?” Allison pleaded suddenly as they walked back to the house.

Stiles didn’t need for her to explain what she was talking about. He glared at her but then she clung to his arm and aimed a pout at him. Stiles caved.

“ Fine! I’ll think about it. Are you happy?” he demanded.

“ Very,” Allison beamed, kissing his cheek before she let go and ran ahead to the house.

Scott stayed in step with Stiles.

“ You know that whatever happens, we’ll all be here for you. Right buddy?” Scott asked, pulling them to stop when they got to the house.

“ Yea I know,” Stiles murmured. “I just – I really like him Scott.” 

The whispered confession was barely audible but Scott understood. 

“ I know you do. So just think about telling him,” Scott encouraged, making it sound entirely too easy.

Stiles nodded and the pair headed inside. 

Yea, Stiles would think about it. When pigs fly or some other impossible thing happens. Until then? It was banned from his thoughts. 

~*~ 

Derek was the last to emerge from the house at the end of the day. Everyone else was already gathered on the porch; laughing and messing around as Jackson and Danny prepared dinner. He was tense, knowing that it wouldn’t be too long after they ate that the bonfire would be lit. Laura walked past and gave his arm a reassuring squeeze. She didn’t need to be told what had him on edge. 

Stiles was over by the grill, arguing with Jackson about one thing or another until he caught sight of Derek. Stiles seemed to hesitate before his face split into a grin and headed over to Derek’s side. 

“ Hey big guy. So what’d you do this afternoon?” 

Derek shrugged as he leaned back against the house.

“ Laure forced me to play chicken.” 

Stiles blinked in surprise before breaking into a fit of laughter.

“ Oh man,” Stiles breathed once he had control of himself. “I wish I could’ve seen that. I just can’t picture it. Did you have fun?” 

“ Not really,” Derek huffed in his usual manner.

“ Liar! You loved it!” Laura corrected from where she was wedged between Isaac and Erica. 

Derek’s lips reluctantly quirked up into a grin.

“ Alright,” he acquiesced. “It was kind of fun.” 

“ Can we do it again tomorrow?” Stiles asked hopefully. “I want to play.” 

“ Sure,” Laura agreed, a slight purr entering her voice. “I’d love to try to push you off of Derek’s shoulders.” 

Derek and Stiles were both momentarily stunned at the thought. Thankfully they were rescued from having to respond when Danny announced that dinner was ready. 

~*~

The screams that were mingling with the crackling of the flames were a figment of his imagination; the bonfire triggering his nightmares to replay violently in his mind. Derek knew that. But that surety did nothing in stopping the wound in his heart from reopening; ripping at the seams and flooding him with the pain of his loss. 

Derek wanted to bow to it. Give in and just fall to his knees. Scream until every last ounce of pain left his body. But he didn’t. It wouldn’t help anything. The pain was his to bear. And Laura’s. Derek tended to forget that Laura was just as affected as he was. Maybe even more so seeing as how she refused to come as close to the flames as he had. 

He glanced back at his sister; her back to him as she stared at the ocean. She had her arms wrapped around herself. Derek assumed it was her way of holding herself together. 

When Derek glanced back at the group, only one pair of eyes were focused on him. Everyone else was laughing, teasing each other, gathering supplies to make s’mores. But Stiles? Stiles’ eyes never left Derek; concern swimming in his eyes.

Stiles seemed to know Derek better than Derek even knew himself at times. So Stiles should know that nothing had the power to bring Derek any closer to the flames. Not even Stiles himself. Derek turned his back on him.

~*~

Laura had to give Derek credit. After the fiasco with Stiles and the movies, Laura had assumed that Derek would completely lose it tonight. That she would have to swallow everything she would inevitably feel in favor of talking Derek down. 

But she was the one who broke first. After the bonfire had been lit and the flames started to slowly rise higher and higher, she was the one who had retreated while Derek cautiously approached until he was as close to the flames as he dared.

Laura’s heart had splintered as it all came rushing back. The phone call while they were at Peter’s, their uncle frantically loading them into the car. Arriving at the house, the thick smoke disguising just how much everything was about to change. 

Once the smoke had cleared, the house was in shambles and they were presented with the unavoidable truth. Their parents were gone. Just like that, their happiness had been ripped away from them. Who would’ve thought that such a tiny spark could do so much irreparable damage? 

Laura tightened her arms around herself, the sound of Derek’s footsteps bringing her back to the present. It wasn’t until then that she realized she had been silently crying, the tear tracks marking their path down her face. A hiccup suddenly worked itself up her throat. 

“ Laura,” Derek whispered. 

She turned, stepping into his arms to sob into his chest. She didn’t care if Derek saw her like this. She held it together too damn much. She held it together for Cora. She held it together for Peter. She was tired of acting strong just because she was the oldest. Derek could see her for what she truly was. Broken; because Derek was broken as well. 

~*~ 

Stiles watched them intently. A sad look marring his face as Derek held Laura; the way she shook a clear indicator that she was crying. Sobbing. The way Derek was breathing made Stiles think he was trying, but failing, to hold back tears. The sight made Stiles want to throw a bucket of water at the bonfire and snuff out the flames. 

“ Stiles?”

The sudden sound of Isaac’s voice made Stiles jump and nearly fall off of the cooler he was using as a seat. 

“ Yea?” Stiles asked, turning to face the curly headed blond. 

Isaac handed him a plate with an assembled s’more on it in answer. Stiles took it, smiling in thanks, but just set it on the empty space beside him in favor of turning back to keep an eye on his mourning friends. 

Laura stepped back and started rubbing at her face as she shook her head, more than likely apologizing. Derek said something, reaching out to gently cup her face. Laura blinked before nodding, folding her legs under her as she took a seat in the sand. Derek did the same. They leaned into each other, giving each other the comfort and support they both so desperately needed. 

“ Are they alright?”

“ Not really,” Stiles said, turning reluctantly to face Boyd. Stiles noticed his friend's curious looks and quickly added, “It’s private,” to avoid any further questions. Thankfully they all nodded in understanding. 

Stiles tried to pay attention and participate in the conversations going on around him, but his mind kept drifting back to Derek. His eyes would follow soon after. It wasn’t until he glanced back and Laura was out of site that Stiles was up and moving, his body reacting before his mind could process the decision to go to Derek. 

“ Hey Der,” Stiles greeted softly as he took a seat next to him in the sand. 

Derek barely nodded his head to let Stiles know his presence had been acknowledged. A heavy silence stretched over them, every second making Stiles feel antsy.

“ Where’d Laura go?” he finally blurted out. 

“ She went into town I think. She wanted to be alone,” Derek told him with a sigh. 

“ And you? Do you want to be alone?” Stiles asked, quickly feeling like an intruder.

Stiles started to stand up but Derek’s arm shot out and grabbed his wrist to pull him back down.

“ Don’t go,” Derek pleaded, releasing Stiles’ wrist almost as quickly as he had grabbed it.

“ Alright,” Stiles reassured. “I’ll stay.” 

Silence settled over the two again and Stiles’ foot started tapping until Derek finally spoke.

“ You were right,” he breathed. “About talking with Laura. I should’ve done it sooner. I didn’t realize how much she was hurting. How much she held it all in for us. I’m an ass.” 

Derek’s voice cracked as he hung his head and cradled it in his hands. 

“ Hey,” Stiles whispered as he scooted closer and reached his hand out to rub Derek’s back reassuringly.

“ It’s okay Derek. You didn’t know. You’re talking to her now. That’s what matters. You just needed a little shove.” 

Derek let out a weak chuckle at Stiles’ attempt to lighten the mood. Derek looked up at Stiles, an expression on his face that Stiles couldn’t define.

“ Thanks.”

“ For?” Stiles asked, startled. 

Derek shrugged.

“ Nothing? Everything? Being my friend? Being here? I don’t know. Just – Thanks.” 

“ You’re welcome. I think,” Stiles told him, sounding puzzled. “It’s not like you made it easy though.”

“ I know,” Derek acknowledged with a laugh. 

“ And you never did explain why you seemed to hate me so much?” Stiles prompted.

“ I know,” Derek repeated, this time in a softer tone. 

Stiles frowned. That wasn’t exactly the response he had been looking for.

“ Well?” Stiles prodded. “Are you going to explain or not?”

Derek seemed to think it over before finally saying, “I’ll think about it.”

Stiles scoffed and bumped his shoulder against Derek’s.

“ Jerk,” he admonished fondly. 

“ But you love it,” Derek told him, feeling brave.

“ Debatable,” Stiles argued with a playful shrug. 

“ One that I’d win,” Derek shot back.

They stared at each before they both started chuckling softly. Once their laughter subsided, they sat there in silence; a comfortable one this time, just enjoying each other’s company. 

Squeals and laughter from the group at the bonfire gradually grabbed their attention. They all had sparklers in their hands, drawing shapes and spelling words in the air. 

Allison broke away from the group and headed over to where Stiles and Derek were sitting. She had two unlit sparklers in her hand. 

“ Hey,” she greeted with a dimpled smile, pulling a lighter out of the pocket of her hoodie. 

Stiles felt Derek tense as Allison lit the lighter, saw him flinch out of the corner of his eye at the sight of the lit sparklers. Stiles leaned comfortingly into Derek’s side as he took the sparklers from Allison with a grateful smile. As soon as her back was turned, Stiles leaned forward to snuff them out in the wet sand. Derek seemed to sag in relief as soon as their sparks died. 

“ Sorry,” Stiles whispered. 

“ S’alright,” Derek told him stiffly. 

“ She meant well. She doesn’t know. None of them know. They asked but I told them it was private. I didn’t tell them. I wouldn’t disrespect you like that. You didn’t want them to know so I didn’t. Tell them. I’m sorry.”

“ It’s fine Stiles. I’m alright,” Derek repeated, sounding slightly more convincing this time. 

Stiles still felt like he was at fault. He shook his head and started yanking his fingers through his hair.

“ Man. I shouldn’t have asked you to come. I basically forced you to. You didn’t seem all that excited and now this – Fuck. I suck. I-“

“ Stiles!” Derek interrupted him sharply. “I’m here for you,” Derek told him in a softer tone. “I don’t want to be anywhere else, okay?” 

Stiles blinked at him in surprise before nodding in understanding, trying to ignore the warm fluttery feeling that was dancing around inside of him. He failed. Miserably. 

~*~

They talked. They talked about everything and nothing all at once; both avoiding the one thing they truly wanted to say. Their words were brought to a pause only when the fireworks started flying high, each explosion painting the night sky in bursts of vibrant colors.

“ You know, I used to really enjoy fireworks. But I haven’t watched them in years,” Derek said softly and mostly to himself. 

Stiles took his time responding, completely entranced by how the fireworks lit up Derek’s face. 

“ W-Why not?” Stiles finally managed to ask. 

“ Not sure. I guess I thought it was kind of silly.”

“ And is it? Silly?” 

“ No,” Derek negated gently. “It's actually kind of perfect.” 

The way Derek looked at him when he said that had Stiles at a loss for words. Derek wasn’t allowed to say things like that to him, look at him like that. Things like that were what would get Stiles’ hopes up. Stiles just sat there, staring back helplessly. He probably looked like a fish desperate for air. Derek was going to be the death of him. 

“ Derek-“

“ Hey losers!”

The sound of Laura’s voice had Stiles grinding his teeth. 

“ What Laura?” Derek growled.

Huh. So apparently Stiles wasn’t the only one irked by Laura’s bad timing.

“ If you two aren’t inside in twenty minutes I’m locking your asses out!” she warned before heading inside after everyone else. 

“ What’s their rush?” Stiles murmured.

He pulled his phone out to check the time and was surprised to see that it was almost midnight. 

Holy shit! Where had the time gone? He hadn’t even realized that the bonfire had been snuffed out. Or that everyone that had been on the beach had already cleared out. Apparently time did fly when you’re having fun. Or thoroughly distracted by the object of your affection. Either one applied. 

“ Come on,” Derek told him as he stood up and offered Stiles his hand. “Guess we should head inside.

“ Yea, guess so,” Stiles mumbled as he took Derek’s hand and pushed himself up off of the sand. 

Stiles went straight to the room to get ready for bed while Derek lagged behind to talk with Laura. He wanted to make sure his sister was alright one more time. And also point out how very bad her timing was and suggest taking lessons in how to read a situation before opening her big mouth.

“ And why is that?” Laura asked with a laugh.

“ Maybe, just maybe, after all of your prodding, I was about to tell him how I feel,” Derek hissed.

“ No you weren’t. ‘Night baby bro,” Laura told him, taking the steps two at a time.

Derek hadn’t bothered to argue with her. She was probably right. 

When he entered their room, Stiles was already fast asleep. Derek was careful to be quiet as he got ready for bed, not wanting to wake Stiles up. Still, he had something to say before he fell asleep.

“ Stiles,” Derek whispered softly.

“ Hmm?” Stiles answered, shuffling in his sleep.

“ I’m scared of losing you too,” Derek admitted.

“ S’not gon' happen,” Stiles reassured him sleepily.

Derek wasn’t sure if Stiles would even remember the brief conversation in the morning, but it was enough to lure Derek into a peaceful sleep.

~*~

“ I told you so,” Lydia pointed out, not for the first time as they drove back to Beacon Hills.

“ Yes. Thank you. That’s very helpful,” Stiles snapped at her from the back seat. 

“ She did though,” Derek added with a chuckle.

“ You!” Stiles barked, pointing a finger at Derek. “Also not helpful.” 

“ Just try not to shed too much in the car Stilinski,” Jackson ordered.

And because everyone seemed to be against him that day, Prada also added a yip as if she was agreeing with everyone. Joy. 

Since Stiles had decided to ignore Lydia’s advice to wear sunscreen, he ended up with a very bad sunburn the last few days they were at the beach. Lydia just radiated smugness over that little fact. Not to mention she'd had imprisoned him inside for the rest of their stay so it wouldn’t get any worse. She preferred the term quarantined but Stiles was sure he knew the difference. Now he was peeling and he felt disgusting. 

“ How’s your ankle?” Derek eventually asked, having the decency to sound sincerely concerned.

Right. Stiles had also gotten into a tug-of-war match with Prada when she had decided Stiles’ favorite hoodie was the perfect bed for her. When one of the sleeves ripped, Stiles had thought it would be a good idea to chase her through the house. Long story short, he tripped and twisted his ankle. 

“ I’ll live,” Stiles told him curtly. “My hoodie however is a different story.”

Stiles shot Prada a menacing glare. Derek tried to hold back laughter but failed, earning him a glare of his own. 

“ How about I buy you a new one?” Derek offered, giving Stiles’ knee a reassuring pat.

Stiles tried very hard not to wriggle in pleasure.

“ I’m gonna hold you to that,” Stiles warned, a grin fighting through his stern expression.

“ One more hour boys, then we’re home,” Lydia announced a little while later.

_Thank God!_ Stiles thought.

He loved spending time with his friends. And he had had a great time over the weekend. But long outings with his friends always seemed to be hazardous to his health in one way or another. He couldn’t wait to see his dad and sleep in his own bed. For now he’d settle for using Derek’s shoulder as a pillow for the rest of the drive. 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter will be up on October 9th. See you then!
> 
> Hope you are enjoying!
> 
> Come say hi and hang out: https://1gurgi1.tumblr.com/


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Teen Wolf belong to MTV and Jeff Davis

A week had passed since they’d returned from the beach and Derek had this nagging feeling that Stiles was avoiding him. Not in the literal sense because Derek still saw Stiles nearly every day.

It was just that every time they talked, Stiles seemed to be holding back. His smiles seemed to falter and he got distracted easily. More so than usual. It was almost as if Stiles was trying to distance himself from Derek. Derek couldn’t understand why. That’s what was on his mind that morning. 

Derek ruffled his freshly washed hair as he walked downstairs. As soon as he turned into the living room, a paper airplane flew into his face. He sighed and looked at Laura who was capping her nail polish with a smirk.

“ What the hell is this?” Derek asked her as he bent to retrieve the piece of paper.

“ Grocery list. I need you to go to the store,” Laura told him.

“ And why can’t you go?” Derek asked though he knew it was pointless. One way or another, Laura would get him to go.

“ Because, dear brother, I just got done painting my toes,” she explained, gesturing at her feet.

“ So?”

“ _So_ the polish needs to dry Derek!” Laura whined, knowing full well that Derek hated when she did that. 

“ Alright fine,” Derek agreed as he snatched his keys off of the hook.

“ And don’t even think about stopping at the bookstore Der! Stiles isn’t ev-“ Derek shut the door before she could finish her sentence. 

Derek’s satisfaction was short-lived. He knew that he would pay for it later. All the more reason to take his time before returning home. 

~*~

Derek knew full well that Stiles wouldn’t be working that day. He didn’t need Laura to tell him that. He’d had his friends' schedule practically memorized for a while now. Long enough for Derek to have his argument for why that wasn’t creepy down pat. 

Regardless, he stopped into the bookstore despite Laura telling him not to. He didn’t stay long. There was no point. Derek wasn’t in need of any books and without Stiles, the place held no appeal for him. Derek had no other choice but to head over to the store after that. 

He walked through the store methodically, practically running on autopilot as he gathered everything on Laura’s list. It wasn’t until he was in the produce section that Derek paused. Laura needed apples for whatever reason. As he grabbed a plastic bag and started throwing some apples into it, he was reminded of running into Stiles at the store that first time. A fond smile took over Derek’s face as he stared at the apple in his hand. 

Once Derek realized exactly what he was doing he wanted to hit himself. He was smiling fondly.  _ At an apple _ . Fucking hell. He needed to get it together. He threw one last apple into the bag and twisted the bag closed, with a little more force than necessary, before throwing it into the cart. 

Derek grabbed the last few things on the list and then started heading to the front of the store to check out. As he rounded the end of an aisle, his cart crashed into another customer’s.

“ God, I am so sorry! I should’ve been paying more attention.”

“ It's fine,” Derek told the woman who looked like she had just committed a crime for running into him.

Derek offered her a grin and was going to walk around her but then someone else came walking around the aisle.

“ Mom? Is everything al – Derek?”

Derek blinked in surprise at Scott. He was even more surprised when the woman seemed to light up in recognition at the sound of his name.

“ _You’re_ Derek?”

“ Yes?” Derek told her as if he wasn’t sure.

“ Stiles talks about you  _ constantly _ . It’s so nice to finally meet you. Hi. I’m Melissa. Scott’s mom,” she introduced, holding her hand out for Derek. 

Derek took her hand and shook politely, trying not to blush over Stiles talking about him. Constantly. 

“ What brings you here?” Scott asked, completely serious.

Derek looked around them, the answer obvious.

“ Umm, grocery shopping?” 

Scott blinked before he started laughing. Melissa rolled her eyes.

“ Right. I knew that. I’m not used to tagging along. Mom usually does all the grocery shopping.”

“ Yea, but I guilt tripped him into helping today. I am getting more than usual” Melissa added on. 

Melissa then smiled at Derek.

“ You’re coming right?”

“ Coming where?” Derek asked, confused. 

Scott’s look of guilt just added to his confusion.

“ We’re having a dinner party and everyone’s coming. I asked Stiles if you were going to come and he got all excited but then he told me that you probably wouldn’t want to. That he thought you’d been overexposed to all of us at the beach and would probably want some time to yourself. He seemed pretty beat up about it but he was insistent that no one mention it to you. He didn’t want you to feel bad and think that you had to come.” 

Scott finished his explanation with a shrug. Derek wasn’t sure what to think or feel about that. Stiles didn’t want to inconvenience Derek despite how many times that Derek had reassured him that he was fine with spending time with everyone. He had started to enjoy it even. They were all growing on him. And anytime with Stiles was a win for Derek. Stiles was an idiot.

“ Stiles is an idiot.”

Derek’s head snapped up at Melissa’s comment, worried that he had spoken out loud. 

“ You’re coming,” Melissa ordered, leaving no room for argument.

And that’s when doubt started to creep in. What if all of that had been Stiles’ excuse for not wanting Derek there? What if he was growing tired of Derek? That would explain Stiles avoiding him as of late. 

“ Yes!” Scott exclaimed, grabbing Derek’s attention. “That would be perfect! You can surprise Stiles. He’ll love it man. This is going to make him so happy.”

Scott’s sincerity wiped away Derek’s doubt. Well most of it. There was still a small bit of it settling down in the back of his mind. But Scott knew Stiles better than anyone. He’d know best what would make Stiles happy. According to him, Derek showing up would make him happy. Derek wanted nothing more than to make Stiles happy. 

“ Alright,” Derek told them, his mouth suddenly dry. “I’ll go. When is it?”

“ Tomorrow night, at six,” Melissa told him with a smile. “It’s at Stiles’ place. I was going to host but John insisted. He’s always gotta be the gentleman.”

Melissa sounded irritated by that fact, but the affectionate gleam in her eye told Derek how she really felt. Stiles talked often about how his dad and Scott’s mom should hurry up and get together already. Derek had thought it had just been wishful thinking on their part but apparently there was some truth in it.

“ I’ve never been to Stiles’ place,” Derek told them, surprised by the truth of it.

“ Really?” Scott asked, just as incredulous as he reached for the paper in Derek’s hand. Scott bent over to use his leg as a writing surface as he scrawled Stiles’ address down for Derek. “I guess there’s a first for everything.”

Derek took the paper from Scott and stuffed it into his jacket pocket so he wouldn’t lose it. He left Scott and his mom to finish their shopping so that he could check out.

“ We’ve got a dinner party to go to tomorrow,” Derek told Laura as he lugged in the last bag of groceries, leaving no room for argument. Laura didn’t help. Big surprise.

~*~ 

“ So when are you seeing Derek next?” Scott asked Stiles innocently later that night.

The way it sounded to Stiles’ ears, it came across as a bit _too_ innocent. 

“ Why?” Stiles asked, his suspicion causing him to tense up. 

“ No reason,” Scott told him with a shrug as he flipped through one of the graphic novels Derek had lent him. “It’s just rare for you two to go too long without seeing each other.”

“ We aren’t attached at the hip Scott,” Stiles argued. “And be careful with that! It’s not mine,” Stiles ordered, taking the book out of Scott’s hands and carefully smoothing it out. 

“ No, but you’d like to be,” Scott told him with a mischievous grin, ignoring Stiles’ protectiveness of the graphic novel.

Stiles ignored him in favor of returning it to the stack that was taking up the only space left on his desk. He should’ve returned them a while ago but he hadn’t. Not when Derek’s smell still clung to the pages. Stiles realized just how pathetic and creepy that was but he didn’t care. It’s not like anyone had to know. 

“ Look, are you sure you don’t want to invite him tomorrow? I don’t know what you’re so worried about. He seemed to have fun at the beach,” Scott persisted. Again.

“ No Scott. Forget it. I’m not going to do anything that could push him away. Just – Just drop it, alright?” 

Scott just stared at his best friend, knowing that Stiles was lying to himself. Stiles stared back with an almost desperate look in his eyes. 

“ Fine,” Scott acquiesced. 

That desperate look killed Scott. He couldn’t wait to see how Stiles’ face would light up when Derek showed up.

~*~

“ I’m not going,” Derek yelled, plopping down onto his bed. 

“ What’s wrong this time?” Laura asked nonplussed as she entered his room.

She used the mirror above his dresser to fasten her earrings before turning to face him. This wasn’t the first time they were having this conversation. Every hour Derek had seemed to find a reason for not wanting to go. 

“ Why are you all dressed up?” Derek asked, eyeing her dress and heels.

“ It’s a dinner party Derek,” Laura told him with an eye roll. “You can’t just show up in jeans and a t-shirt.” 

“ How do you know it won’t be casual? Scott and Melissa said nothing about dressing up.”

“ I called Lydia,” Laura told him with a shrug as she started looking through his closet.

“ Laura!” Derek complained. “This is supposed to be a surprise!” 

“ Yes,” Laura agreed as she pulled a shirt out, appraised it, and then shook her head as she put it back. “A surprise for  _ Stiles _ . No one else cares if you show up.” 

“ That helps,” Derek snapped. 

Laura put on a rare apologetic smile as she walked over to him with a few shirts in her hand.

“ That’s not what I meant Der-Bear,” she told him gently as she held up a shirt to him before discarding it on the bed. 

“What I meant was, you showing up isn’t going to make or break anyone else’s night. But it will make or break Stiles’ night. Which is why you _are_ going. In this shirt. You look good in blue.” 

Derek took the shirt she was holding out and looked at it doubtfully. 

“ I don’t even know why I own this. I hate button ups. Why can’t I wear a blue Henley? Henley’s look nice,” Derek argued. 

“Because Derek, you _always_ wear Henley’s. And you always cover them up with your leather jacket. Your leather jacket that I will throw in the lake if you have the audacity to be wearing it when you come downstairs. We’re leaving in ten.”

With that, Laura patted his cheek before traipsing out of his room to finish getting ready. Laura was the devil. But he wasn’t sure what he’d do without her. 

~*~ 

“ Stop fidgeting!” Laura ordered as she rang the doorbell. “Jesus. I’d hate to see you if you guys ever go on a date.” 

Before Derek's imagination to run away with the image of being on a date with Stiles, the door swung open. 

“ Awesome! You guys are right on time,” Scott whispered as he ushered them inside and guided them to the living room. 

A wide array of mismatched tables and chairs were placed around the room to accommodate all of the extra bodies. Derek assumed that something like this happened frequently since everyone looked so at ease. As if they were home. 

Laura and Derek were greeted warmly by everyone. Even after his initial glare, the sheriff clapped Derek on the shoulder and drew Laura in for a quick one armed hug. Derek politely smiled at everyone but he only had eyes for one person. His attention quickly fell on Stiles who looked stunned, as if he couldn’t believe what he was seeing, before his entire being seemed to light up. 

Derek’s heart nearly stuttered to a stop at the sight.

“ I wish he wouldn’t look at me like that,” Derek whispered hurriedly into Laura’s ear as they made their way around the room.

“ Like what?” 

“ Like – Like I’m his favorite person in the world,” Derek told her, sounding bitter. He couldn’t stand that look. Not when it wasn’t true. 

Laura froze and turned to look at him with an incredulous stare.

“ You are completely moronic Derek Hale.”

“ And why is that?” Derek bit back.

Laura just shrugged. There was no point in telling Derek the obvious. He wouldn’t believe her even if she did.

“ Why don’t you go talk to him?” Laura suggested. “See if you can figure it out for yourself?” 

She gestured for Derek to do just that before she headed over to Jackson and Lydia, saying hi to people as she went. Derek watched her go, took a deep breath, and then strode over to Stiles’ side.

“ Hey,” Derek told him. Stiles still seemed momentarily incapable of speech.

“ W-What are you doing here?” Stiles finally managed, sounding breathless.

“ I ran into Scott and his mom at the store yesterday,” Derek told him with a shrug. “They told me I didn’t have a choice in the matter.” 

Stiles seemed to puff up in anger.

“ Dammit! See, this is why I didn’t invite you. Cause I didn’t want you to feel like that. Derek I’m s-“

“ Stiles,” Derek interrupted, the seriousness in his tone instantly grabbed Stiles’ attention.

“ You know me Stiles. Do you honestly think I’d be here if I didn’t want to be?” 

“ Maybe,” Stiles argued stubbornly, kicking at the carpet. “Laura could’ve dragged you.” 

“ Stiles,” Derek repeated with a raised eyebrow. 

“ Alright fine,” Stiles relented. He looked at the floor before peeking up at Derek with a grin on his face. “I guess Laura did over power you then. I would’ve thought you were stronger than that.”

Stiles’ whole body seemed to shake with laughter in response to Derek’s unamused glare, forcing Derek to crack a smile. 

“ Did we really have to dress up though?” Derek asked after a bit, pulling uncomfortably at the collar of his shirt. 

“ I’m pretty sure the dressing up part was Lydia’s idea,” Stiles grumbled, eyeing daggers at her back. “An hour before everyone was supposed to be here, she showed up acting like my stylist. Then she did the same thing for my dad. I think my dad’s still in shock from it.” 

Derek looked over at the sheriff who seemed completely at ease. Then again, that could be because he had Melissa’s full attention.

“ Huh,” Derek started, his attention shifting back to Stiles. “Laura did the same thing to me. Apparently everything else in my closet wasn’t appropriate.” 

“ Hmm,” Stiles hummed as he looked over Derek appreciatively. “You look good though. I like the blue. Blue’s pretty.” 

Stiles reached out and absentmindedly rubbed the fabric of the sleeve between his fingers. Derek felt his cheeks start to burn. Stiles seemed to realize what he was doing and what he had just said, a flush of his own taking over his face as he jumped away.

“ Me however, I look pretty stupid,” Stiles observed, trying to laugh it off as he raised his arms to show off the clothes Lydia had forced him into. 

Derek politely disagreed. Silently of course. He was a huge fan of how well Stiles fit into the dress shirt and pants. They showed off his lithe figure that his constant layers usually hid. 

“ You look fine,” Derek told him, trying for nonchalance. 

Fuck nonchalance. Stiles’ insides were practically screaming. 

“ You know,” Stiles started, trying to sound just as casual. “It is kinda weird seeing you without your leather jacket.”

Derek shook his head, suddenly reminded of just how uncomfortable it was not to be wearing it.

“ Laura threatened to drown it if I put it on,” Derek explained.

Stiles let out a quick bark of laughter.

“ That sounds just like her.”

“ What? Evil and manipulative?”

“ Mhmm, I’m quite familiar with the type,” Stiles told him, gesturing at Lydia and Erica. “But it’s their way of showing they care.”

“ Well I wouldn’t mind if they all cared just a little bit less,” Derek told him wistfully. 

“ We’d fall apart after less than a day,” Stiles reminded him. 

Derek couldn’t argue with that. It was irritatingly true. 

~*~

“ I tend to forget how good of a cook you are Melissa,” the sheriff told her appreciatively as he set his fork down. “It’s been awhile since I’ve had a nice home cooked meal.”

“ Hey!” Stiles shouted indignantly, pulled out of his conversation with Isaac and Boyd. “I cook for you all the time!” 

“ Eggs, son. You cook me eggs.”

“ Yea well it’s better than nothing,” Stiles grumbled. “Plenty of protein.” 

“ Aw Stiles. Do I need to give you cooking lessons,” Melissa asked, laughing. 

“ I’m not so sure that’s safe,” Laura jumped in. “According to Derek he can’t even peel potatoes without cutting himself.” 

“ Completely undomesticated,” Lydia muttered, taking a sip of her drink.

“ Traitor,” Stiles hissed as he turned on Derek who looked completely unabashed. 

“ Even I can peel potatoes,” Scott teased his best friend.

“ Then why don’t you?” Melissa asked, earning laughs from the entire room and wiping the smug look off of her son’s face. 

Allison leaned over and kissed Scott on the cheek to make him feel better. 

~*~

A little while later Jackson was challenging Boyd to an arm wrestling match. Erica just had to go and say that Boyd was stronger. Erica was always goading someone. Boyd easily won, effectively ruining Jackson’s mood for the rest of the night. 

“ Anyone else?” Erica asked the room, a smug grin on her face. 

“ What about you Derek?” Laura asked, suddenly appearing at his side. “It’d be a pretty even match between you two.” 

“ Not interested,” Derek told her.

“ Spoil sport,” she accused with a pout but dropped it in favor of heading over to talk with Melissa.

“ You sure?” Stiles asked, eyeing Derek’s arms. “I’m sure you’d win easily.” 

“ There’s no point,” Derek told him with a shrug. “But by all means, have at it.” 

“ Are you kidding me?” Stiles cried, sitting up in shock. “Boyd would break my hand.” 

“ Don’t worry Stiles,” Boyd told him, a challenging glint in his eye as he smiled with his teeth. “I won’t hurt your hand. Much.” 

Stiles cradled his hand protectively to his chest.

“ Thanks but no thanks,” Stiles told Boyd before hurrying over to talk with Allison and Scott.

Derek shook with silent laughter. 

~*~

Melissa had made pie for dessert. Well more like  _ pies _ . Cherry pie. Apple pie. Chocolate pie. All of the pies. And to eat pie,  _ properly _ , whipped cream was a necessity. 

The bowl of whipped cream sitting in front of Stiles was giving him ideas. It was so _tempting_. Derek was sitting next to him, _so unsuspecting_ as he ate his pie and talked with Isaac and Danny. 

“ Hey Derek?” Stiles asked innocently. 

“ Yea?” Derek answered as he turned to Stiles.

He was met with Stiles’ hand as it smeared whipped cream across his face, bits falling and clinging to his shirt. A shocked silence quickly settled over the room. 

“ Stiles…” Derek growled menacingly as he reached up to wipe the mess off of his face.

“ Heh heh,” Stiles answered nervously. “It was a joke?” 

Derek nodded in understanding but the look in his eyes was void of amusement. Derek’s hand suddenly shot out and grabbed the front of Stiles’ shirt. He pulled Stiles towards him and raised his other hand to smear whipped cream into Stiles’ hair. Five different cameras went off, capturing the moment.

Stiles was still too stunned by being pulled so close to Derek to react. Derek released him. Good thing too because Stiles was ready to just surge forward and _devour_ Derek’s lips. 

“ It was just a joke,” Derek mimicked, bringing his thumb up to lick off the remaining cream.

Scratch that. Stiles wanted to climb Derek. Like a tree. And devour his entire  _ being _ . 

~*~

The night was pretty much over. Everyone was full. The table had been cleared. Leftovers were packed up for everyone to take home. Dishes were waiting to be done. Lazy conversations flitted around the room; no one wanting to be the first to leave. 

Until Erica drew the room's attention.

“ You know,” she started, gesturing at John and Melissa, “I’m starting to think you two aren’t together just to spite us.” 

“ Here, here!” Lydia cried. “Watching you two is  _ infuriating _ .” 

Melissa stared at them appraisingly, seeming to make a decision, as everyone waited on baited breath. 

“ You know, you’re right,” Melissa agreed, turning to face the sheriff. “I think it’s high time we did something about that.” 

The room seemed to grow quieter, if at all possible, as Melissa stepped forward and placed a quick but firm kiss to the sheriff’s mouth. 

John was stunned. Melissa was blushing. No one breathed. Then the room seemed to explode with sound. Everyone was cheering in one way or another. Lydia and Erica wasted no time in taking pictures. Allison and Laura were clapping. Isaac, Boyd, Danny, and Jackson seemed to be exchanging money over a bet they undoubtedly had going. Stiles and Scott looked torn between hopping up in excitement and bursting into tears. They settled for hugging each other. And Derek? For the first time in a long time, Derek felt at home.

~*~ 

It wasn’t too long after that everyone started saying their goodbyes for the night. Stiles cornered his dad and practically ordered him to ask Melissa out on a real date and soon before walking with Derek out to his car. 

Derek leaned against his Camaro and looked at Stiles expectantly but for once, Stiles was at a loss for words. It felt like a scene from a cheesy teen movie. 

It would play out like this: Derek would confess to being in love with Stiles the entire time. Then he’d pull Stiles close, kiss him until they were both breathless, and then pull away reluctantly because he had to go. They’d kiss once more and then Stiles would watch Derek drive away. End scene. 

But this wasn’t a teen movie. This was real life. And even if it were a teen movie, Stiles would be the comedic relief. Not the lead role who gets their happy ending. 

“ Invite me next time.”

The whispered request had Stiles’ head whipping up to stare at Derek. For whatever reason he had been staring at the ground and nervously tapping the driveway with the tip of his shoe. 

“ What?” Stiles asked dumbly.

“ Invite me next time,” Derek repeated, louder this time, maintaining eye contact. 

He went to shove his hands into his jacket's pockets, a nervous habit, but had to settle for his pants pockets instead. The action caused Derek to lean forward into Stiles’ space slightly. 

“ Next time you guys have dinner. Next time you hang out. Next time you have a sleepover. Hell, if you just want someone to go to the movies with. You can invite me. In fact I want you to. So invite me next time, please?” 

Derek pleading should be illegal. That was the only thing running through Stiles’ mind as he nodded in acceptance to Derek’s request. Stiles briefly considered kissing Derek. He wanted to. God did he want to. And it would be so easy. Just take two tiny steps forward and bring their lips together. Stiles had almost talked himself into doing it until his front door opened and spilled light out onto the lawn.

“ Alright baby bro,” Laura called, her heels dangling from her fingers. “You can take me home now.”

Stiles jumped away from Derek and threw on a false smile for Laura. It took every ounce of Derek’s control to not reach out and draw Stiles back to him. 

“ Hey, thanks for coming Laura,” Stiles told her as they hugged goodbye.

“ No problem,” Laura told him hesitantly, noting the false cheer in Stiles’ tone. 

“ Uh, bye Derek. See ya,” Stiles told him as he waved and then turned to walk back to the house, rubbing at his neck nervously the entire way.

“ Bad timing again?” Laura asked Derek apologetically as she slid into the passenger seat.

“ You have no idea,” Derek grumbled at her. 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter will be up on September 16th. See you then!
> 
> Hope you are enjoying!
> 
> Come say hi and hang out:
> 
> https://1gurgi1.tumblr.com/


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Teen Wolf belongs to MTV and Jeff Davis
> 
> **This chapter is the one I'm most unsure of. I took inspiration from a tumblr post and I loved the idea at the time but now whenever I think about this chapter, I second guess it. So I guess you'll have to let me know what you guys think.

The sound of Stiles hurtling down the stairs alerted John that his son was awake. He glanced at his watch. Noon. Right on time. 

“ Morning dad!” Stiles greeted, grabbing an apple from the fridge and fastening it into his teeth so he could zip up his hoodie. 

“ Afternoon,” the sheriff corrected.

Stiles glanced at the clock on the wall and shrugged.

“ Sure. Anyways. Heading to-“

“ Derek’s. I know,” the sheriff finished for him as Stiles left the room to shove on his shoes.

“ You say something?” Stiles asked, popping his head back into the dining room. 

“ Nope.”

“ Hmm. Alright. Well like I said, heading to Derek’s. Don’t wait up.”

“ Be safe.”

“ Always am,” Stiles told him around a bite of apple. “Bye dad!” 

John snorted. He was starting to understand why the kids had been so frustrated with him and Melissa. 

~*~

“ Derek!” Stiles greeted as he hip checked their front door open wider to accommodate him and the box of books he was carrying. “I’m gonna need a reminder as to why I’m aiding you in your addiction.”

Stiles dropped the box at the bottom of the stairs.

“ Also, I brought some more movies for us to wat –“ Stiles froze when he stepped into the living room and saw two unfamiliar people. They looked at Stiles as if he had two heads. And was possibly growing a third. 

“ Umm, hi?” Stiles asked, suddenly feeling like he was intruding.

“ Ah. You must be Stiles,” the man greeted as he leaned forward with interest, sending a nervous shiver down Stiles’ spine.

Stiles felt saved at the sound of Laura’s voice. 

“ Stiles?” she asked, popping her head out from the kitchen. 

She smiled in greeting and skipped over to give him a hug. Derek followed her out. Stiles tried not to be _too_ disappointed by the lack of a hug from Derek. 

“ Stiles,” Laura started, grabbing his shoulders to turn him towards the strangers. “This is our Uncle Peter and our younger sister Cora. Peter, Cora, this is Stiles.” 

Now that they had been introduced, Stiles was able to recognize Peter and Cora from the countless Facebook pictures he had seen of them. 

“ Hey,” Stiles greeted, sounding infinitely more confident. He turned to Derek. “You didn’t tell me they were visiting?” 

Derek opened his mouth to respond but Laura cut him off.

“That’s because we didn’t _know_ ,” Laura complained as she plopped down onto the couch next to Cora. “I wanted them to visit _after_ the place was done being renovated. Not _before_.”

“ Where would the surprise have been in that?” Peter demanded.

“ That’s the  _ point _ ,” Laura shot back. “You weren’t  _ supposed  _ to surprise us.” 

Peter made a dismissive gesture with his hand. Stiles tried to choke back a laugh. He failed. 

“ What’s so funny?” all four Hale’s asked at once.

“Nothing,” Stiles told them, deciding to sit on the floor in front of the chair that Derek was occupying. “I’m just starting to see where Laura gets her… _forcefulness_ from.” 

“ I’m not forceful,” Laura denied, making Derek and Stiles both scoff.

“You _forced_ a birthday party on me.”

“ You loved it,” she told him, mimicking the same hand gesture her uncle had just used. 

Stiles just rolled his eyes and turned his attention to Peter.

“ So when’d you two arrive?” 

“ About an hour ago?” he said, turning the question on Cora.

Cora glared back.

“ We would’ve been here hours ago if you hadn’t taken so many  _ detours _ .”

“ We would’ve been here at the exact same time,” Peter corrected. “My detours didn’t make any difference.”

“ I was waiting at the airport for you for  _ two hours _ !”

“ Was it that long?” Peter asked her, not sounding the least bit concerned.

“ Wait,” Stiles asked, “you didn’t come together?”

“ No,” Cora told him. “Peter isn’t a fan of flying.”

“I _detest_ flying,” Peter amended. “I prefer the driving, the freedom, the control-“

“ The detours,” Cora muttered.

“ -and the detours,” Peter tacked on for Cora’s benefit. 

“ Anyways,” Cora continued, getting the subject back on track. “Peter left a few days before and I flew out this morning. It was planned perfectly. But because of Peter’s-“

“ Detours,” everyone supplied for her.

“ -I was stuck sitting at the airport for two hours.”

“ My sister is very good at holding a grudge,” Derek whispered to Stiles.

“ I can see that,” Stiles whispered back. 

“ I guess it wasn’t all that bad,” Cora told them with a shrug. “I did get a cute guy's number.”

“ Amen for cute guys,” Stiles cheered, earning a grin from Cora. 

“ You’re too young to date!” Derek snapped. 

“ Hey!” Cora and Stiles both shouted indignantly.

Derek stared incredulously at Stiles.

“ What’s your problem?” 

“ I’m the same age as her! And trust me, big guy, I can date!” 

Stiles wanted to make that abundantly clear to Derek. 

“ Yea Derek,” Laura jumped in with. “Stiles can  _ date _ .” 

“ And are you? Dating?” Peter asked, directing the question at Stiles.

Stiles wasn’t a fan of how the room’s attention was suddenly on him. And he wasn’t a fan of Peter’s question.

“ Wha-No!”

“ What about someone you’d like to date? Do you have someone you’d like to be dating?”

Stiles was suddenly very aware of the fact that Derek was sitting right behind him. It took every bit of Stiles’ control not to turn and look at Derek. Good thing too cause then he would’ve noticed how Derek was staring at him. Intently. 

“ No,” Stiles squeaked out, squirming at the lie.

Laura, Cora, and Peter rolled their eyes, completely in sync. 

“ What about you dear nephew?” Peter asked, turning his attention to Derek. “Has anyone won your affection?” 

“ No,” Derek snapped, effectively putting an end to that line of conversation.

~*~ 

The next few hours were devoted to Laura and Derek catching up with Peter and Cora. Stiles felt a little guilty at first for intruding on their little family reunion but every time he started to stand up and tell them that he should probably go, he was glared at until he sat back down. He felt even guiltier when Peter brought up dinner.

“ Laura,” Peter drawled, “do you two have any dinner plans?” 

“ No,” Laura told him with a sigh. “I would’ve had something prepared if you would’ve, oh I don’t know,  _ called _ .” 

Peter rolled his eyes. Apparently Cora wasn’t the only Hale capable of holding a grudge.

“ Why? Are you hungry? I can go throw something together,” Laura offered, standing up from the couch to stretch.

“ That won’t be necessary. I’m taking us out to dinner,” Peter announced. 

“ Peter,” Laura chided. “I can cook.”

“ Nonsense. I insist,” Peter told her. 

“ Like I said,  _ forceful _ ,” Stiles reminded everyone, earning chuckles from the room. 

Stiles stood up and stretched before heading to the bathroom.

“ I guess this is my cue to leave,” Stiles announced when he came back into the room. “Derek, your books are at the foot of the stairs. We can watch the movies another time. It was really nice meeting you two.” 

Cora grinned at him but Peter frowned. So did Laura and Derek. 

“ What are you talking about? You’re coming with us of course,” Peter informed him. 

Stiles wasn’t prepared for that.

“ Wh-What?”

“ You must,” Peter insisted.

“ Yes Stiles, you must,” Laura agreed, stepping over to link her arm with his. 

“ But-“

“ No buts,” Cora argued.

“ I don’t want to intrude,” Stiles argued weakly.

“ Stiles, please come?” 

Stiles shouldn’t have glanced over. He knew what Derek’s eyes would do to him. They were his weakness. They’d make him cave. 

“ Okay,” Stiles agreed softly, earning a pleased grin from Derek.

Cue another synchronized eye roll from the Hale’s. 

~*~ 

Peter drove Laura and Cora, while Derek and Stiles followed in the Camaro. 

“ Sorry about my uncle,” Derek told him as they pulled out of the driveway, sounding tense. 

“ Why?” Stiles asked, perplexed. “I like Peter. He’s funny.”

“ God,” Derek groaned, tightening his grip on the steering wheel. “Don’t let him hear you say that. That will only encourage him.” 

Stiles laughed softly. 

“ Derek, I’ve exposed you to all of my friends. On multiple occasions. For extended periods of time. If anyone should be apologizing, it should be me.” 

Derek’s grip relaxed in response to Stiles’ words.

“ I like your friends,” Derek told him in complete honesty.

“ And I like your family,” Stiles responded with the same sincerity.

Stiles tried not to preen too much at the sight of the soft smile spreading over Derek’s face. 

~*~ 

“ I don’t care if it’s the best steakhouse in town,” Stiles argued as he leaned back in his seat, dropping his fork onto his now empty plate. “I still think your steak was better Derek.”

Everyone’s eyebrows rose in interest whilst Derek’s cheeks started to turn a soft shade of pink. Thank god for the lower lighting.

“ Uh, thanks,” Derek coughed out, earning a curious look from Stiles.

“ You cooked for him Derek?” Peter asked, leaning forward. “How interesting.”

“ Yea, how interesting,” Cora echoed. “I don’t think you’ve cooked for me a day in your life.” 

“ That’s because you can cook for yourself,” Derek threw back at her.

“ Huh. That was the same argument he used with me. That’s not very original Derek,” Laura pointed out. 

“ Aww Derek. Am I special?” Stiles teased, batting his lashes for an added effect.

Derek rounded on him with a scowl.

“ You. Shut. Up!” Derek ordered through gritted teeth. 

“ Manners Derek,” Peter chided gently, taking a sip of his wine as Derek turned his scowl on his uncle. 

Stiles shook with silent laughter. 

~*~ 

“ Stiles, I like you,” Peter announced as they walked back into the house. 

Stiles blinked in surprise. Derek growled under his breath.

“ Laura, can we keep him?” Peter asked, completely ignoring his nephew.

Laura sighed wistfully.

“ I asked Derek the same thing months ago. He said no.” 

“ My nephew. Ever the spoilsport,” Peter commented, sounding so very disappointed. 

“ Regardless. You seem to be a permanent fixture in my Laura and Derek’s life. I thought you should know I approve.”

“ Uh, thanks?” Stiles responded, unsure. 

“ You’re welcome,” Peter told him breezily. “It has been bugging me all day though. You remind me of someone but I can’t quite put my finger on it.”

If it weren’t for how aware and in tune with Derek Stiles was, he never would’ve noticed how Derek’s entire being seemed to shut down at that comment. As if every single wall that had slowly been chipped away came rushing back up. Stiles automatically took a step towards him but Derek was already hurtling up the stairs.

A quick, “Thanks for dinner,” thrown over his shoulder. Derek’s voice cracked. Stiles’ heart nearly did the same. 

“ What was that?” Stiles asked, his tone swimming with concern.

“ I think I remember who you remind me of…” Peter murmured, sounding guilty. 

“ Who?” Stiles demanded, turning to Peter with a desperate look. 

“ I think that’s Derek’s story to tell.”

Stiles couldn’t help but blame Peter for the sudden shift of the night despite the apologetic look he was donning. Stiles’ eyes shifted to Laura. She gave him an encouraging nod of her head before heading into the living room. Peter followed her a moment later. Stiles started to head upstairs but Cora stopped him.

“ Wait,” she ordered. 

“ I can’t. I need to make sure he’s okay,” Stiles gritted out.

“ A few minutes won’t make a difference,” she told him.

“ You don’t understand! He hasn’t looked at me like that since – Since the first day I met him. I can’t have him look at me like that…” Stiles explained, his voice fading into a frightened whisper.

“ Why do you care?” Cora suddenly demanded. 

Stiles’ head whipped up to glare at her.

“ Because. Because Derek needs a person. I’m his person. And – And he’s my person too.” 

Cora studied him, each silent moment causing Stiles to grow more anxious.

“ You won’t hurt him?” Cora finally asked with a vulnerable tremble in her voice.

“ Never,” Stiles promised. 

Another stretch of silence, Stiles wanted to howl in frustration, before Cora nodded and followed her sister and uncle into the living room. 

Stiles took the stairs two at a time. 

~*~

As anxious as he had been to get to Derek, Stiles was now frozen outside his bedroom door. His hand hovered over the doorknob cautiously, as if it would burn him when he finally took hold of it. 

Stiles took a deep, and hopefully calming, breath before gently pushing the door open.

“ Derek?” he asked hesitantly.

Derek was standing by his window. Arms crossed, leaning against the wall, and deep in thought. He didn’t acknowledge Stiles’ presence. 

“ Come on dude, you’ve gotta talk to me,” Stiles told him as he stepped further into the room and shut the door behind him. 

“ It’s not a big deal,” Derek grunted after a stretch of silence.

Stiles scoffed.

“ Judging by your reaction, I think it is.” 

Derek didn’t respond but his body language changed slightly so Stiles knew he was ready to talk. Sort of.

“ So I remind you of someone?” Stiles prompted as he took a seat on Derek’s bed.

“ Not in any way that matters,” Derek murmured. “But also in every way that matters.” 

“ That doesn’t make any sense,” Stiles whispered mostly to himself. 

“ I know,” Derek acknowledged as he dragged his hand down his face. 

Derek paced in front of Stiles a few times before sitting down next to him. He hung his head and yanked at his hair as he struggled for words. 

“ There was this girl in high school. Her name was Paige.”

Derek paused to look at Stiles and Stiles nodded for him to continue. 

“ You – You sort of look like her. Brown hair. Brown eyes. She even had this mole under her eye. She was so beautiful…”

Stiles must’ve moved in some way to grab Derek’s attention because suddenly he was looking at him again. Stiles was blushing. He couldn’t help it. Derek had pretty much called him beautiful. Then he felt guilty and pushed the thought away. This wasn’t about him. 

“ I had the biggest crush on her but she wouldn’t give me the time of day. No that wasn’t it – It was more like she couldn’t  _ see _ me. She was too wrapped up in her cello. When she practiced it was like she was in another world.”

Derek had closed his eyes as he relived the memories in his mind and through his words. 

“ I was this arrogant jock in high school. And I wanted her to see me. So like a fool I got some of my friends to mess around with a basketball outside of the music room. She was so mad.”

Derek paused to laugh. A sad laugh, but a laugh nonetheless. 

“ That’s how you two are the most alike really. How you two stand up to me and call me out on my bullshit.” 

“ Did you love her?” Stiles asked; both needing to know and not wanting to know. 

“ I’m sure I could have. I never got the chance to find out…”

“ What happened?” Stiles asked quietly, knowing this story wasn’t going to have a happy ending. 

Derek sighed.

“ I eventually got her to give me a chance. We were going to hang out. Study…”

Derek stopped and took a shaky breath. Stiles leaned into his side. He hadn’t realized Derek had been shaking. The tremors subsided with Stiles’ comforting touch. 

“ She didn’t show up. It didn’t really bother me. I mean it did but I figured she had just stood me up. That I would see her the next day and just ask her to come over again. Then – Then her parents showed up a few hours later. Demanding to know where their daughter was…” 

Stiles’ eyebrows pulled together in confusion. 

“ Apparently they had gotten into a fight. They had told Paige she couldn’t come over on a school night and she got upset. Stomped upstairs to her room. Teenagers do that. That’s why they didn’t check on her for a few hours. When they did… She wasn’t in her room. Her window was open and her bag was gone.” 

Derek was shaking again. He looked at Stiles. His eyes were filled with loathing. Self-hatred. Stiles didn’t know what to do. Or say. 

“ I hadn’t seen or heard from her. Her parents didn’t believe me. They figured I was hiding her. I even got questioned by the police. My parents were furious. Whispers followed me around school. They found her bag in the woods a week later. It was ripped and muddy but there was no blood,” Derek said with a wry laugh. “That detail was always added; as if it was supposed to be  _ comforting _ .” 

Derek was scowling now, wringing his hands in anger. Or – Or guilt?

“ Der – You don’t blame yourself? Do you?” 

“ How can’t I?” Derek demanded.

“ _ Because _ ,  _ it wasn’t your fault _ !”

“ She was coming to see me!” Derek reminded him. 

“ That doesn’t mean you have to shoulder the guilt Der,” Stiles told him, trying to sound soothing. 

“ But I forgot about her,” Derek whispered, the pain in his voice was torture to hear. 

“ What do you mean?”

“Not like amnesia, or anything,” Derek clarified.

“The fire happened a few months after,” Derek explained in a hollow tone. “And _that_ just wiped all thoughts of Paige from my mind. I mean I'd think of her time and again but for the most part it was almost like it never happened. Until a few months ago when I walked into that bookstore and saw you.” 

The story had come full circle. 

“ Seeing you Stiles, it was like a punch to the gut. Suddenly being reminded of someone it hurt to think about. It was like seeing a ghost. That’s why I acted the way I did at first. I didn’t want to talk to you. I didn’t want to be friends. I didn’t want to grow attached and then have you ripped away. But you were just so interesting and – and persistent.”

“ Okay,” Stiles said, breaking the silence after Derek had talked for a few minutes. 

His tone must have been off because Derek’s head whipped up with a frustrated expression.

“ Look. You have to understand Stiles. You may be like her in some ways but I’m not – I’m not trying to replace her. I haven’t placed you on some unreachable pedestal. The way I f –  _ think _ about you is completely different from how I thought about her. Please understand that,” Derek pleaded. 

Derek needed Stiles to know the difference between his feelings for Paige and his feelings for Stiles. Derek had only thought he had loved Paige. He had never gotten the chance to know her. But Derek knows Stiles and had fallen a long time ago. What he feels for Stiles is real. While what he had felt for Paige had only been a whisper of hope. But Derek had no idea how to tell Stiles that.

“ Okay,” Stiles repeated, trying to sound more confident then he felt. 

Stiles prided himself in not flinching or looking away. Stiles had taken that explanation as Derek’s subtle way of telling Stiles he didn’t feel the same way that Stiles did. Stiles could respect that. Stiles would have to respect that.

But Stiles was also feeling brave and so he rested his head on Derek’s shoulder. Stiles assumed that was alright because he could feel Derek relax as he did so. 

“ Thank you,” Stiles whispered. “For telling me.” 

Stiles lost track of how long they sat there like that. It wasn’t until he shifted and got a glance of Derek’s watch that he noticed it was almost midnight.

“ I should probably go,” Stiles told him reluctantly. 

Derek nodded.

“ I’ll see you tomorrow?” 

Another nod but still, neither of them moved. 

“ Do you need me to carry you downstairs?” Derek joked, earning a small laugh from Stiles.

“ Shut up,” Stiles told him gently as he stood up and stretched. 

Stiles started to head for the door but then he hesitated. He turned back to Derek who was looking at him curiously.

“ Wha-“ 

Stiles cut Derek’s question off with a hug. It was meant to be a short, reassuring hug. Stiles would give a quick squeeze and then let go and leave. But then – then Derek’s arms wrapped around him and held him tight. 

Stiles nuzzled Derek’s chest. He would yell at himself later. Right now, he was going to take full advantage of the situation. He didn’t think he would ever get enough of Derek’s smell. 

“ La – Laura’s gonna come up here. She’d love to get a picture of this.”

Okay. Maybe Stiles should yell at himself now because that was the last thing he should’ve said. But instead of quickly stepping away, Derek just rested his chin on Stiles’ head. Stiles' face ended up slotted into the crook of Derek’s neck. It was a perfect fit. 

“ I don’t care,” Derek whispered. 

It had to be true seeing as how he held Stiles even tighter. Stiles didn’t think that was possible. Hell, if Derek didn’t care then Stiles was perfectly content to stay there all night. Until the end of time even.

Stiles could feel Derek’s breath ghosting through his hair. It made him shiver. That shiver seemed to break the spell. Derek cleared his throat and stepped away. Stiles was sure he was pouting seeing as how Derek chuckled and rolled his eyes at him. 

“ Are you going to be alright?” Stiles asked him as he hovered in the doorway. 

“ Yea,” Derek breathed. “See you tomorrow. We can watch those movies you brought.”

Stiles nodded and gave Derek a final departing smile. Stiles was thankful he didn’t run into anyone as he left the house. He didn’t think he was in a state for answering questions. 

He didn’t fall asleep breathing in the smell from his hoodie. No one could prove it anyways. 

~*~ 

Stiles was thankful that no one had brought it up for the rest of Peter and Cora’s stay. It was as if everyone had silently decided to pretend it had never happened. The only real evidence that anything out of the ordinary had happened was how Laura looked at him now. As if she was seeing him in an entirely new light. Stiles wished she wouldn’t.

There was also the memory of the hug. The hug had seemed to change things between Stiles and Derek. As if it had erased some invisible line they had both been respecting the entire time. That hug had opened the floodgates for so many new touches. Casual touches, but touches all the same. 

Stiles now always found an excuse to let Derek know he was there. A quick touch to his back, a soft brush of fingertips on his arm, leaning into him when they sat next to each other. Things that he never would’ve thought twice about with his other friends. They just meant so much more with Derek. 

It seemed to surprise Derek at first; the deliberateness of it, but he grinned at Stiles every time so he kept at it. Derek had even started to do the same. But it was less frequent, more hesitant. Stiles was always sure to acknowledge them so Derek knew it was okay. That it was appreciated. That it was wanted. 

Stiles loved the touching. He did. But it was also torture. He wanted more than a quick touch to the back. He wanted an embrace. He wanted more than a soft brush of fingertips on his arm. He wanted to feel those fingertips on his face. His lips. His neck. His chest. His everything. Stiles just wanted more. 

He understood that Derek didn’t feel the same way about him that he had felt about Paige. But he had to feel something right? That’s what everyone had been telling him since they had practically met. There was just too much that hinted at Derek _feeling_ something for Stiles. And something was better than nothing. So much better than nothing. He started to analyze every moment he had spent with Derek; analyze every conversation, every touch, and every look that had hinted at _something_. 

Stiles wanted to believe it. Desperately so. But he constantly reads too much into things. There were plenty of times where his something had turned out to be absolutely nothing. Just wishful thinking on his part. It hurt. Every damn time. He couldn’t go down that road with Derek. But maybe…Just maybe…

That’s what was warring in Stiles’ mind that morning as he brushed his teeth. To tell or not to tell. To play it safe or take a risk. Stay just friends with Derek or to reach out, grasp for more. 

That’s when his phone rang.

“ Hello?” he mumbled around his toothbrush. 

“ Stiles,” Laura said, but it sounded wrong. All wrong. Hollow. Wounded. Scared. 

“ What’s wrong?” he demanded, pulling his toothbrush out of his mouth so he could speak properly. 

“ It’s Derek.” Ragged. Terrified. Desperate. 

It came out as a whisper but it reverberated through Stiles’ head as if she had shouted. His toothbrush clattered to the sink. Every nightmarish possibility was playing out in his head.

_ Derek.  _

Two little words. A word and a name. The only name that mattered at the moment. 

Stiles sprinted out of the house. He was still in his pajamas. Toothpaste was drying on his chin. He didn’t care.

  
  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **This chapter is the one I'm most unsure of. I took inspiration from a tumblr post and I loved the idea at the time but now whenever I think about this chapter, I second guess it. So I guess you'll have to let me know what you guys think. 
> 
> The next chapter will be up on October 23rd. See you then!
> 
> Hope you are enjoying!
> 
> Come say hi and hang out: https://1gurgi1.tumblr.com/


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Teen Wolf belongs to MTV and Jeff Davis

“ _What happened!?”_ Stiles demanded, throwing himself out of his jeep.

Laura was crouched on the porch, her face buried in her knees. She glanced up at Stiles’ approach and Stiles staggered to a halt. Her eyes were red and puffy. Swollen from crying. And she looked as pale as a sheet. 

Fresh tears started flowing as Stiles bounded up the steps and wrapped her into a hug.

“ What the hell happened Laura?” Stiles whispered, terrified.

His heart had to have been beating a hundred miles a minute, imagining the absolute worst. He gently guided her inside. 

“ P-Peter got in-into a wreck,” she stuttered into Stiles’ shoulder. 

Stiles was confused. Hadn’t she called about Derek? Had he misheard Peter as Derek? Where the hell was Derek? 

He squeezed his eyes shut as he shook his head, trying to organize his thoughts. Peter had left two days ago. Cora was supposed to fly out early this morning. Derek was here. Derek should be safe.  _ Where the hell was Derek? _

“ Is Peter alright?”

“ I don’t know,” Laura told him wetly, weekly shaking her head. 

“ Dere-“ Stiles couldn’t even form his name before a thundering crash sounded from upstairs.

Stiles jumped. Laura let out a weak yelp as more tears started flowing. 

“ Laura! What the hell?” Stiles demanded, completely frantic now.

“ The ho-hospital called to inform us he had been admitted. And Der-Der-he lost it!” Laura choked out, flinching as another crash came from upstairs, quieter this time, but still just as alarming. 

“He went up to his room and I just thought he wanted to be a-alone…but then _this_ started happening.”

She waved her hand to indicate the chaos that they were hearing. Another bang punctuated her sentence. 

“ He won’t let me in,” Laura told him, wrapping her arms tightly around herself. A tiny hiccup burbled from her mouth. 

Stiles drew her in for another hug and started to rub her back in what he hoped was a soothing manner. 

“ You’ve gotta go talk to him, Stiles,” she said, looking up at him desperately. 

Stiles felt frozen in horror. 

“ Wh-What? Laura he won’t let me in. Why would you think he would let me in?” 

And then – then Laura’s entire demeanor changed and she was wiping at her tears furiously. 

“ Now isn’t the time to play dumb Stiles!” Laura hissed, suddenly angrier than he had ever seen her, as she yanked herself away from him.

Stiles reared back as if he had been slapped. 

“You know damn well why I _know_ he’ll let you in. My brother has it bad for you Stiles. Everyone fucking knows it. And if you’re too damn blind to see it it’s because you don’t want to see it or you’re scared. If my brother’s going to talk to anyone right now it’s going to be you. So you’re going to destroy whatever fear or denial you have built up in your head and you’re going to go upstairs and _bring my brother back_!”

Her anger seemed to wane as fast it had flared up. She was probably exhausted from crying. 

“ And while you do that,” Laura continued in a defeated tone, “I’m going to book our flight to New York.” 

“ We’ve gotta go Stiles. Cora and Peter are going to need us,” she explained in response to Stiles’ lost look. 

Stiles nodded, still going over Laura’s rant in his head. Another crash had them both cringing. 

“ Go Stiles,” Laura told him as she turned into the living room.

It was a dismissal. 

~*~ 

Stiles felt like he was approaching a wounded animal as he carefully treaded upstairs. Laura was crazy. If she couldn’t get Derek to let him in then Stiles had zero chance in hell. Derek wouldn’t open the door. Or Derek _would_ open the door but he’d grab Stiles and throw him down the stairs. There was no doubt in Stiles’ mind that Derek could do it too. 

And he couldn’t even bring himself to contemplate Derek’s possible feelings. Now was not the time or place for pursuing a relationship. Derek was hurting. Derek needed his friend. Stiles gingerly placed the palm of his hand against Derek’s door.

“ Derek?” he called out softly but clearly so that Derek would hear him.

The door shuddered violently under Stiles’ hand as a bang echoed from the room. Derek must’ve punched it or thrown something at it. Stiles flinched and pulled his hand away. 

“ Derek come on! You’ve gotta let me in,” Stiles pleaded. 

Silence. Stiles threw his hands up in frustration and scratched at his head as he walked in a circle before coming back to stand in front of Derek’s door. 

“ Derek Hale!” Stiles snapped. “Don’t make me try and break this door down! Cause I will. And I’ll probably break my shoulder. And then there’ll be two people you care about in the hospital!”

Stiles’ eyes widened in shock as guilt thundered through him.

“ Wait. I didn’t mean that. That was the wrong thing to s-“

There was a soft click and the door creaked open just barely. 

“ I don’t want to talk,” Derek growled threateningly through the cracked door. 

“ Too bad,” Stiles told him as he tried to push his way into the room.

Derek braced his weight against the door. Stiles still fought and pushed. But it was like a child trying to move a boulder. The child was always going to lose. 

Well Stiles wasn’t a child. And he had no qualms with fighting dirty. He wedged his leg into the room and brought his foot down as hard as he could onto Derek’s. 

“ Dammit Stiles!” Derek snarled.

Stiles practically fell into the room once Derek’s weight was no longer holding the door in place. 

“ You should’ve let me in to begin with,” Stiles told him, gasping for air. “Sorry, not sorry.” 

Stiles just had to take a minute to gape because Derek was only in sweatpants and hot damn –

_ Nope! Not the time. Or place.  _

The first thing he should’ve noticed was how Derek’s room was in complete disarray. But Derek shirtless was very distracting- 

_ Focus Stiles! _

Stiles shook his head to do just that. 

Books and clothes were strewn everywhere. Stiles took a step and glass crunched under his feet. His eyes darted to Derek’s bedside table; sans lamp. That was probably what was thrown at the door. And it looked like the wooden chair that usually sat in the corner had gotten the brunt of Derek’s abuse. Stiles frowned. He liked that chair.

“ Get out!” Derek demanded as he turned away from Stiles.

“ No,” Stiles told him, completely calm.

“ Are you deaf? Get. Out!” Derek gritted out, turning a menacing glare on him.

“ No,” Stiles repeated, not intimidated in the least.

“ Stiles, I’m not going to say it again. Leave. Now.”

“ You want me to leave? Fine. Make me,” Stiles challenged with a shrug. 

He wasn’t sure where the sudden bravery had come from but he sure as hell was going to roll with it. What he hadn’t planned on was Derek rushing at him and throwing him against the wall as he snarled something unintelligible. Stiles gasped, more surprised than scared.

Derek glared at him and Stiles just glared back. 

“ Do you feel better now?” Stiles asked sarcastically, at a loss for why he was goading Derek.

Another snarl escaped Derek’s lips as he started to raise his fist as if he was going to punch Stiles. Again. 

“What? You gonna hit me Derek? _Again?_ Will _that_ make you feel better? Fine. Hit me if you want. But I’m still not going anywhere Derek. It’s too late for that. You’re stuck with me.” 

Stiles didn’t even blink as Derek’s fist flew at him – past him – and into the wall. Stiles took a shuddering breath of relief as Derek’s face crumpled before his head dropped forward to rest on Stiles’ shoulder. The worst was over. For now. 

“ Sorry,” Derek whispered into Stiles’ shoulder.

Stiles brought his hand up to give Derek’s arm a reassuring squeeze.

“ S’alright big guy,” he whispered back. 

They stayed like that, neither wanting to move. From the way he was breathing, it sounded like Derek was still trying to calm himself down. Once he did, he took a reluctant step back. He winced as he pulled his fist away from the wall and cradled it to his chest. 

“ Ow,” Stiles observed the swelling that was already happening. “I’m gonna get you some ice, alright? I’ll be right back.”

Stiles waited for Derek to nod in understanding before he quickly left the room. Instead of the stairs, he headed for the bathroom. He barely made it before the bravery he had been feeling evaporated and the fear he should’ve been feeling moments ago came rushing in. The suddenness of it nearly had him falling to the floor but he gripped the sink, bracing himself. 

He hated feeling scared of Derek. He usually associated being with Derek as being safe. But that raw anger he had exhibited had terrified Stiles. Derek could’ve probably broken his jaw if he had wanted to. Funny how at the time that was the least of Stiles’ worries. He just wanted _his_ Derek back. 

Stiles gave himself a quick shake to clear his head before splashing his face with water. He then made his way downstairs and into the kitchen. He grabbed a dish towel from the drawer and filled it with ice. When he turned around, Laura was there with an imploring stare.

“ He’s alright, just hurt his hand,” Stiles assured her, holding up the ice.

She nodded, letting out a quiet sniffle.

“ Thank you. We’ve gotta leave late tonight. I managed to get us seats on a red eye. Tell him?”

Stiles nodded and gave her another hug before taking the stairs two at a time. When he turned into Derek’s room he froze. Derek was curled up at the end of his bed, asleep. Stiles’ heart melted. 

Stiles quietly approached Derek and crouched in front of him to place the ice against his hand. Derek twitched at first in response to the cold but otherwise stayed asleep. Stiles’ legs started to cramp so he sat cross legged on the floor, holding the ice against Derek’s hand. 

“ I hope you know there aren’t many people I’d do this for,” Stiles whispered, knowing that Derek couldn’t hear him. “My dad yea. Scott, maybe. Depends on how he hurt himself. What are you doing to me Derek Hale?” 

Stiles’ eyes flicked to Derek’s face to make sure he was still fully asleep before leaning forward to just barely brush his lips against Derek’s knuckles. Derek’s hand twitched, causing Stiles to slide backwards across the floor in panic. But Derek stayed asleep. Stiles’ heart took a minute to calm down. 

The ice started to melt, drops of water falling from the towel, so Stiles got up to drop the remaining ice into the sink and deposit the towel into a hamper. 

When he got back to the room he wasn’t sure what to do. Sit and watch Derek like a creeper? No. Read a book? He wouldn’t be able to focus. Crawl into bed and take a nap with him? Definitely not. Stiles ended up sitting on the ground in front of the bed, so Derek would see him when he woke up, but also facing away from him, so Derek wouldn’t wake up to Stiles obsessively staring. 

It sounded like a good plan. Stiles tried distracting himself with the multiple apps on his phone but Derek’s face proved to be too alluring. He turned sideways so he could brace his arm on the bed and hold his head up with his hand and then he stared shamelessly. 

Stiles had never seen Derek asleep. At least not like this. He looked so innocent and vulnerable. Derek always seemed so tense in his waking hours but now he seemed so relaxed. 

Stiles had never noticed how long Derek’s eyelashes were. It was a weird thing to notice but Stiles liked how they rested on Derek’s cheek. Stiles almost wished Derek would open his eyes so he could finally solve the mystery that was Derek’s eye color but then again, if Derek’s were open, he couldn’t freely memorize Derek’s features like this. 

Stiles dozed off somewhere between admiring Derek’s cheekbones and admiring the curve of Derek’s lips. 

~*~ 

Stiles jerked awake a few hours later when his phone suddenly started buzzing in his pocket. A blush rose to his cheeks when he saw that Derek was awake and staring at him as he answered his phone.

“ Hey Scottie,” he greeted, voice raspy with sleep. 

“ _ Hey buddy! Are you doing anything tonight? Wanna come over?”  _

Stiles quickly shot a glance at Derek before answering, because despite how much open ogling he had done earlier, he couldn’t bring himself to look at him now.

“ Uh, not tonight. Sorry dude. Raincheck alright? Yea, yea. Love you too. Bye.” 

Stiles kept his back to Derek and leaned his head back against the bed. The silence was tense and awkward but Stiles wasn’t sure how to break it. Thankfully Derek took hold of the situation. 

“ If you want to hang out with Scott you can-“

“ I’m staying,” Stiles declared. He didn’t plan on leaving until Laura and Derek pulled out of the driveway to head to the airport.

“ That’s fine,” Derek told him. It’s not like he wanted Stiles to leave anyways. 

“ Good.” 

“ I fell asleep,” Derek observed after a beat of silence.

“ That you did.” 

“ I was exhausted…”

“ Throwing a temper tantrum does that to a person,” Stiles responded with a shrug.

Derek gently flicked him on the back of the head but then he released a heavy sigh so Stiles knew it wasn’t time for jokes. 

“ It was selfish.”

Stiles felt a rush of frustration. He could hear the self-hatred in Derek’s voice and he hated it. 

“ You weren’t thinking straight,” Stiles amended.

“ That doesn’t make it okay,” Derek argued. 

“ No but – Just apologize to Laura when you see her, okay? Make sure she’s alright.”

“ Is she?”

Stiles nodded.

“ Yea. You scared the hell out of her but I talked to her before I came to talk with you.”

“ You didn’t have –“ Derek started to whisper. 

“ Yes I did,” Stiles refuted vehemently, effectively silencing Derek. 

Then Derek reached out and squeezed Stiles’ shoulder.

“ Thank you.”

Some bravery from earlier came flooding back in as Stiles reached his hand up to loosely thread his fingers through Derek’s. There was a barely audible gasp from Derek but he didn’t take his hand away so Stiles secured his grip.

“ You don’t have to thank me Der. I’m here for you.”

It was an irrefutable fact. 

“ Any news on Peter?” Derek asked after another beat of silence.

“ I'm not sure,” Stiles told him, punctuating his lack of information with a quick squeeze of Derek’s hand. 

Stiles couldn’t fight his grin when Derek squeezed back. But then he was reminded of them leaving and frowned.

“ Laura said you guys are leaving for New York tonight. Red eye flight,” Stiles explained. 

“ How can she afford that?” Derek wondered.

“ I don’t know.”

“ When are we coming back?”

“ I don’t know.”

“ Has Laura talked to Cora?”

“ I don’t know,” Stiles repeated, feeling like a broken record. 

“ What-“

“ Derek,” Stiles interrupted, “if you ask me one more question I don’t have the answer to, I will smack you.” 

Derek’s body shook with a quick bout of silent laughter before he breathed an apology. 

“ Stiles? Derek?” Laura called softly, hesitantly, a few minutes later. 

Stiles gave one last squeeze before he gently pulled his hand away from Derek’s a moment before Laura turned into the room. She looked more in control than she had earlier but as soon as her eyes took in the state of Derek’s room her chin started to wobble. Derek was up and crossing the room in an instant, pulling her into a much needed hug. Stiles felt like a fly on the wall but he also didn’t want to let them out of his sight before he had to.

Derek comforted her, made it clear that he was okay, asked her countless times if she was okay until he believed her, and got all the answers to the questions that had been swimming through his head. 

Turns out it wasn’t nearly as bad as they had all originally thought. Some jerk-off had run a red light as Peter was passing through an intersection. His left arm and leg were broken and he had some severe bruising on his ribs but aside from facial lacerations from the broken glass, that was the worst of his injuries. 

“ You should pack a small bag,” Laura told Derek, cupping his cheek in her hand. “We have a few hours to kill. I wanna make sure we eat but then we’ve gotta go.” 

Derek nodded in understanding and then Laura shot Stiles a grateful look before leaving the room to start packing herself. Derek flitted around his room as he packed while Stiles just hovered, handing the occasional item to Derek when prompted. 

It felt like they were moving on autopilot as they made their way downstairs to eat dinner. Laura had made spaghetti. Quick and easy. Stiles usually thought Laura’s cooking was amazing. Tonight it just tasted bland. They didn’t fill the silence with mindless chatter like always. It would’ve felt wrong to pretend like everything was okay. 

They all jumped when Laura’s phone started ringing. Cora had called. She was freaking out because she didn’t know what she was supposed to do while she waited for Laura and Derek to get there. She had taken a cab straight to the hospital as soon as she heard about the accident but they wouldn’t let her back to see Peter just yet so she was pacing the waiting room anxiously. Laura tried to get her to calm down and suggested that she try and get some sleep while she waited. Cora didn’t want to sleep and Laura snapped at her to get some coffee then. Derek and Stiles both looked at her in shock. Laura instantly apologized. 

Once she got off the phone she collapsed onto the couch.

“ I should kill Peter for putting us through this…” she muttered, rubbing at her forehead. 

“ I’m sure Peter’s going to kill you for using his money to buy our plane tickets,” Derek told her.

Laura just waved her hand at him dismissively.

“ Peter’s unconscious and covered in plaster. What he doesn’t know won’t kill him. Besides, Peter throws away money like it's expendable. I doubt he’ll miss it.” 

They had another hour to kill but it passed in the blink of an eye. The next thing Stiles knew, Laura and Derek were locking the house up and throwing their carry-on bags into the Camaro. Laura hugged Stiles goodbye, whispering another reverent thank you into his ear before she climbed into the passenger seat. 

Derek hung back, kicking at the ground nervously. 

“ You alright big guy?” Stiles asked as he approached him.

“ Yea,” Derek told him, nodding as he fumbled with his key ring. “Just – uh – take this.”

He held out a key. Stiles took it, frowning in confusion. 

“ It’s to the house,” Derek explained hurriedly before Stiles could ask. “We’re still not sure how long we’re going to be gone but if you need somewhere to go while we’re gone-“ Derek gestured at the key, indicating what he meant.

Stiles gripped the key tightly, the teeth leaving marks in the palm of his hand.

“ Thanks Der.” 

Derek nodded and cleared his throat.

“ One of us will call you when we know when we’re coming back. I’d like it – Could you be here when we get back? There’s something I want to talk about…” 

He trailed off, gauging Stiles’ reaction. Stiles wasn’t sure what Derek was seeing but he knew his heartbeat was erratic. He had a pretty good inkling as to what Derek was going to tell him. He just hoped he wasn’t wrong. That Laura wasn’t wrong. That everyone wasn’t wrong.

“ Of course. Tell me when and I’ll be here.” 

Derek took Stiles by surprise by initiating a hug for the first time. Stiles practically clung to him which was stupid. Derek had gone to New York before. Derek had come back. Derek was going to come back. 

They stayed like that until Laura honked the horn, eliciting a displeased sound from Derek. Stiles laughed weakly and stepped away, throwing a playful punch to Derek’s shoulder. 

“ Go on big guy. Be careful. And steal Laura’s phone so you can actually call this time.” 

Derek promised he would and then climbed into the Camaro with a heavy sigh.

“ You should’ve kissed him,” Laura told him.

Derek shot her a glare. But then decided he didn’t want to spend the trip arguing about this.

“ I gave him a key. I’m gonna tell him when we get back.”

Laura appraised him in surprise.

“ How domestic of you,” she finally said. 

Derek snorted, his eyes drifting up to the rearview mirror to get one last look at Stiles before they turned out of the drive. He was waving.

~*~

Stiles dropped his hand as soon as the Camaro was out of his sight. He glanced down at the key in his hand, tossing it in the air before catching it. 

Stiles hopped into his Jeep, ready to go home, but then a rush of loneliness hit despite them only being gone a few minutes. His dad was working late and he didn’t want to go back to an empty house so he headed for Scott’s. 

Stiles should’ve called. The McCall house was empty as well. That’s what Stiles gets for canceling on his best friend. But he let himself in; he’d had a key made years ago. He trudged upstairs and collapsed onto Scott’s bed. Hopefully Scott would be home soon. 

The comforting smells of Derek and Scott mingling together slowly lured Stiles to sleep. 

~*~

Melissa came home from work a few hours later. She wasn’t nearly as surprised as she should’ve been to find Stiles in her son’s bed. 

Stiles vaguely recalled her bringing him a glass of water and gently rubbing his back before she headed to bed.

~*~

When Stiles woke up the next morning, he was sandwiched between Scott and Allison as they cuddled him. Stiles couldn’t take it. He started crying, waking them up. They started comforting him instantly.

Stiles had the best fucking friends in the world. He loved them to death.

~*~ 

**[From Laura: Landed safely.]**

**[From Laura: Seeing Peter soon.]**

**[From Laura: Call when we can.]**

Stiles was leaning over the counter at work, rereading the lame, uninformative texts he had gotten throughout the next day. Laura literally sent him texts that were basically essays detailing what she was doing at that moment. These texts were clipped. Short and to the point. They had to be from Derek. They had Derek written all over them. 

Stiles groaned, collapsing flat onto the counter. The lack of information was killing him. He just wished Derek,  _ or someone _ , would call so they could answer all of his questions. 

How was Peter? What was going on? Were they alright? How long were they staying? When were they coming back?  _ How did Derek feel _ ?

But his phone was so silent these days that it might as well have been dead. And okay, admittedly that last question could probably wait, but not knowing was the most frustrating thing ever. 

“ Stiles?” 

Stiles jumped at the sound of his boss’s voice. 

“ Umm, yes sir?”

“ Your shift ended twenty minutes ago, son. Go on home.”

Stiles blinked before glancing at the clock. He’d lost track of time.

“ Right. Sorry.”

His boss just nodded and clapped him on the shoulder as he clocked out. Stiles let out a sigh as he left the shop. He hoped video games would distract him for the rest of the night.

~*~

“ Laura!” Stiles cried out in relief after answering his phone the next afternoon. 

“ It’s me,” Derek told him gruffly.

A surprised smile slowly spreads over Stiles’ face.

“ Oh. Hey,” he greeted softly. 

“ Don’t sound too excited,” Derek told him with an amused chuckle.

Stiles took a moment to respond, relishing in the fact that he was hearing Derek’s voice.

“ I was just expecting it to be Laura is all,” Stiles told him as he curled up on the couch. 

“ Laura’s taking a nap but I can wake her up if you’d rather talk to her,” Derek joked.

“ Don’t you dare,” Stiles ordered with a breath of laughter. “What’s been going on?”

Derek took a breath before answering Stiles’ question. Stiles played with a loose thread on the cushion he was leaning on as he listened. 

“ We took a cab straight to the hospital after we landed. Cora pretty much tackled us; she was so relieved to see us. We had to wait a while but they eventually let us back to see Peter. He was asleep so we didn’t stay long. The pain medication has him in and out of sleep. He was pawake earlier. The thing he’s most concerned about are the cuts on his face scarring,” Derek told him with a derisive snort. 

“ Sounds like Peter,” Stiles responded, rolling his eyes. “How are the girls?”

“ Fine. Exhausted. They’ve been running back and forth between the hospital and Peter's apartment non-stop. Haven’t gotten much sleep. They laid down as soon as we got back earlier,” Derek explained, ending with a yawn. 

“ You sound pretty tired yourself, big guy,” Stiles commented. 

“ I’m fine,” Derek told him. Stiles didn’t believe him in the slightest.

“ Go get some sleep Derek.”

Derek was going to protest but his eyelids were already starting to droop.

“ Alright,” he relented. “I’ll call again soon.”

“ You better. No more of those crappy texts either.”

Derek chuckled.

“ Bye Stiles.”

“ Talk to you later Der.” 

~*~

"Lydia-"

Lydia just shook her head.

"But-"

"Nope."

"Would you just listen to-"

"No Stiles, you listen!" Lydia snapped as she rounded on him in the middle of the store, drawing all eyes to them. "We _are_ having a sleepover! Everyone _will_ come, including you! And there will be no _moping_!" 

She practically screeched the last word in Stiles' face before turning to storm back down the aisle, leaving no room for argument. Stiles just dropped his head back with a dramatic sigh before he continued to push the cart in her wake. 

Stiles knew he shouldn't have agreed to go shopping with Lydia. But since he was a good friend he readily agreed when she called asking him for a favor. It was better than -though he would never admit to it- _moping_ over how much he missed Derek. And Laura. Laura was missed too. 

But as soon as he had climbed into Lydia's car she started informing him that they were having another one of her sleepovers that night. Stiles inwardly cringed at the thought. He loved spending time with his friends but he just wasn't in the mood to plaster on a smile and act like everything was alright. 

And now Lydia was angry...

Lydia was very good at making people feel guilty without saying a word.

"Lydia?" Stiles started softly when she stopped in the chip aisle.

"I don't want to hear it, Stilinski," she snapped as she debated over what chips to buy.

"Really? The last name thing?  _ Again _ ?"

She shot him glare before snatching some bags off of the shelf and throwing them into the cart.

"I wouldn't have to resort to the last name thing if you'd just stop being an idiot," she shot back, flouncing off to grab more chips. 

"Well everyone's an idiot compared to you Lyds so that's hardly fair."

She scoffed and rolled her eyes but otherwise seemed pleased by the compliment. 

"Oh shut up."

Stiles smirked at her before abandoning the cart to give her a hug.

"Wanna tell me what's bugging you?" he asked once she pulled away and took control of the cart.

Lydia took a moment to answer, throwing things into the cart as they walked.

"Jackson got into a fight with his parents so he's been a jerk all week. My parents are fighting, _again_ , so I'm not in the best mood either. Allison's dad is questioning her major, _again_ , so she's tense which makes Scott tense. Isaac's having a hard time finding another job so that has him stressed. Erica and Boyd are fighting over god knows what. And I don't know what's bugging Danny but _something_ is. We all need a little cheering up at the moment. So I don't care if your boyfriend is not here and you miss him. We are going to have this sleepover and we are all going to enjoy it!"

Stiles had to take a moment to process all of his friends' problems that he was apparently oblivious to. Which is why it took him a second to catch Lydia's mistake.

"Whoa, Derek is _not_ my boyfriend," Stiles corrected her, hoping the blush taking over his face wasn't obvious.

She just rolled her eyes.

"He might as well be. You like him, he likes you. As soon as one of you has the balls to admit it to the other you'll be boyfriends," she surmised with a shrug. 

"What makes you think he even likes m-"

Lydia gave him a  _ you-seriously-can't-be-that-stupid  _ look.

"Okay fine! There's a slight possibility that he might like me," Stiles amended. 

Lydia let out a snort of laughter.

"I'm willing to bet my life savings on those odds." 

Stiles glared at her, which she totally ignored.

"Just give us all a fair warning when you two get together will you? The two of you in love might be even more disgusting than Boyd and Erica. Or Scott and Allison. And _that_ is saying something." 

Stiles started to sputter at the L-word.

" _ Love _ ? Who said anything about  _ love _ ?!"

Lydia just gave him another one of her  _ you-can't-be-serious looks  _ before walking ahead of him and up the aisle.

"If you're going to be that dumb Stilinski, you're buying your own curly fries!"

"Cruel!" Stiles shouted after her. 

~*~

"This was a great idea Lydia. We all really needed this," Allison told her best friend with a hug.

Lydia returned the hug before shooting a smug look Stiles' way. Her silent  _ I-told-you-so's _ were always the loudest. 

Stiles was loath to admit it but the sleepover really had been a good idea. All of his friends seemed to be in much better moods after only a few minutes of being together and Stiles wasn't desperately missing Derek every five seconds. 

It was now more like every five minutes. 

Progress. 

~*~

Four hours and 3 beers later and Stiles, Scott, and Isaac were cracking up over Allison outdrinking Jackson. Stiles was so focused on Jackson's humiliation that he barely felt his phone ring. 

Scott made a random gesture that Stiles assumed was supposed to mean don't answer it but he just waved his best friend off. 

"Hello? _Stop it Scott!_ Sorry, hello?"

"Stiles?" Derek asked uncertainly.

A huge grin split Stiles' face at the sound of Derek's voice.

"Hey Derek! Guys it's Derek!" Stiles announced to his friends who all responded with a cry of, " _ Hi Derek!" _

Stiles laughed and then held his finger to his lips before heading into the kitchen for some privacy.

"Hey Der," Stiles whispered. "Sorry about that." 

"It's fine. What's going on?"

"Lydia threw an impromptu anti-moping sleepover."

Derek chuckled. "Who's moping?"

"All of us apparently. We're all having a shitty week. The shittiest of weeks is occurring. This sleepover is supposed to kick it in the ass. The alcohol is an added bonus."

"You're drinking?" Derek demanded, suddenly sounding very concerned. 

"Just a few beers," Stiles told him with a shrug. 

"Are you drunk?" 

Stiles _hummed_ as he assessed his state as he leaned his back against the wall and slid to the floor. 

"Nope. Just adequately buzzed."

"Don't drive home," Derek ordered, earning a snort from Stiles.

"See Derek, the whole point of a sleepover is to actually _sleep_ _over_."

Stiles grinned, knowing full well that Derek was in the middle of an eye roll. 

"I just want you to be safe," Derek explained, sounding slightly embarrassed. 

"I know big guy, I know," Stiles told him, feeling warmed by the sentiment. 

"So why are you moping?" Derek asked after a beat of silence. 

Stiles sighed.

"Because a very good friend of mine had to up and leave to the other side of the country for an indeterminate amount of time," Stiles answered honestly, feeling brave from the alcohol in his system.

"Ah, so you miss me?" Derek asked, sounding smug. And pleased. 

"Who said I was talking about you?" Stiles asked with a scoff, making Derek snort. 

"We'll be home soon Stiles."

Stiles frowned; Derek didn't sound very certain.

"If I said I missed you would you come back sooner?"

"No," Derek told him, sounding apologetic.

"I miss you," Stiles told him softly.

There was another beat of silence before Derek responded.

"I'll try."

Stiles was smiling so hard that his cheeks started to hurt.

"Soon...?" Stiles mused.

"Soon," Derek repeated.

And this time, it sounded like a promise. 

~*~

"I officially hate New York," Stiles announced suddenly at work a few days later.

Isaac just snorted as he flipped through his comic book.

"He's coming back you idiot. It's not like he left for good." 

"Yes, I know," Stiles groaned and he collapsed onto the counter, "but he's been gone for a week now and still no word on the _when_ he'll be coming back part."

"Yes, I heard you the last ten times you've said that. You complaining has me ready to just go and drag him back myself."

Stiles' head popped up off of the counter with a hopeful expression.

"Could you?"

" _ No _ ," Isaac told him with an eye roll. 

The forlorn look on Stiles' face almost had Isaac reconsidering that answer. Almost. He got up with a sigh to put a comforting hand on Stiles' shoulder.

"Look Stiles, the guy is head over heels for you, despite what you think," Isaac added at Stiles' eye roll, "so no matter how long he's gone, _he will come back._ For you."

Stiles flushed but then gave Isaac a grateful smile. Then he nearly jumped out of his skin when his phone started ringing. Hoping it was Derek, Stiles fumbled to answer his phone only to frown when he saw it was an unknown number.

"Hello?" Stiles answered, glum.

He heard an answering snort and then, "Don't sound too excited, you might hurt yourself." 

Stiles paused, took a moment to process that it was actually Derek's voice he was hearing, pulled his phone away to study the number, before putting it back to his ear and asking, "Who's phone are you using?"

"Mine," Derek told him, sounding amused. 

"Yours?" Stiles asked, confused. "You don't have a phone." 

"Well I do now. My sisters tag-teamed me and coerced me into buying one. They thought it was necessary. They implied that I _missed_ you."

"What an absurd accusation," Stiles told him softly through a laugh, fighting back the urge to run around in circles with joy. 

Isaac just rolled his eyes and left the store; his departure went completely unnoticed by Stiles who stayed on the phone with Derek for the rest of his shift

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter will be up on October 30th. See you then!
> 
> Hope you are enjoying!
> 
> Come say hi and hang out:
> 
> https://1gurgi1.tumblr.com/


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Teen Wolf belongs to MTV and Jeff Davis

Stiles collapsed on his bed, prepared to play Xbox until his eyes refused to stay open, when his phone started blaring, notifying an incoming video call. 

The sudden loud ringing had him nearly jumping out of his skin but when he saw that it was Derek calling his face broke into a euphoric smile and he quickly accepted the call. 

"Hey Der-" Stiles stopped mid greeting when he realized that it was Cora looking back at him with a mischievous glint in her eyes instead of Derek. 

"Cora? What-"

"Ssh!" Cora interrupted him, quietly laughing as she held a finger to her lips. 

Stiles could also hear Laura trying to suppress her laughter in the background. Stiles was thoroughly confused. 

"Laura? Have you seen my phone? I want to call Stiles."

Stiles instantly perked up at the sound of Derek's voice. Laura and Cora both started laughing, immediately telling each other to shush through giggles. 

"Yea, it's in here Der!" Laura called to him, the laughter evident in her voice. 

Stiles narrowed his eyes, unsure if he would like where this was going. Cora just wiggled her eyebrows back at Stiles before looking up when, Stiles assumed, Derek entered the room. 

"Cora, what the hell are you doing with my phone?" Derek growled at his younger sister. 

Both the Hale sisters started laughing again and then Cora yelled, "Here Der, catch!"

The room spun on the screen before Stiles' eyes as Derek's phone hurtled across the room. Derek caught it deftly.

Stiles' screen was half black due to Derek's hand covering half of the lens. He could clearly see the glare Derek was sending his younger sister through the other half though. 

"Dammit Cora!" Derek growled, too focused on yelling at his sister to notice Stiles staring up at him from the device in his hands.

"You and Laura nagged me incessantly to get a phone of my own so I could talk to Stiles and then you do that! What if it had broken?" Derek demanded. 

"That's what warranties are for Der," Cora shot back, the eye roll evident in her tone. "Besides, it _didn't_ break. So have fun talking with your boo," she crooned as she left the room, Laura following in her wake. 

"What the hells a boo?" Derek called after them. 

All Derek got in response was their laughter as it traveled down the hallway. The question also had Stiles bursting into laughter, the sudden sound coming from his phone drawing Derek's attention. 

" _ Stiles _ ?" Derek asked in surprise. 

Stiles instantly sobered, a nervous swallow traveling down his throat.

"Uh, hi," Stiles greeted meekly as he scratched at his neck. "Cora stole your phone and video called me."

It seemed like an unnecessary explanation but Derek was still staring at him as if he was seeing him for the first time. 

"Clearly," Derek finally told him with a smirk. 

Stiles broke into a grin. Then Stiles started to feel nervous. Sure he had been excited to see Derek video calling him but now? Now he was anxious. There was something different, something more intimate, about talking to Derek this way as opposed to in person. 

"You can hang up you know," Stiles told him, not making eye contact as a tone entered his voice that Derek couldn't decipher. "We don't have to video chat if you don't want to. We can just switch it to a regular call." 

Derek's eyes narrowed, scrutinizing Stiles' weird behavior until his face softened into a fond smile. 

"Don't switch it," Derek told him, "I like being able to see you."

Stiles' head snapped up at the admission, brown eyes locking with grey-green. Sincerity and something more swam in Derek's eyes and Stiles had to look away before his feelings exploded out of his mouth. 

Stiles' gaze dropped to his bed, a shy, pleased smile plastered on his face as he whispered, "Yeah, me too big guy. Me too." 

~*~

They stayed on the phone for a good two hours. Talking about everything and nothing all at once. Catching up on everything in their lives the other was missing. 

Peter was still fretting about the cuts on his face leaving permanent scars. 

Deaton gave Scott another pay raise. Isaac had finally found a second job. Danny was dating someone new. 

Cora was excited about school starting up soon because she missed her art classes. Stiles grimaced at that, realizing school was right around the corner for him too. 

Allison signed up to be a camp counselor the last few weeks of summer. Lydia got accepted into the internship she had been gunning for for years. Erica and Boyd were fighting again. 

Laura missed Stiles like crazy which made Stiles realize just how much he desperately missed her as well. 

They skirted the topic of missing each other for the entire call. But when Derek laid down because it was getting late, and started to drift off to sleep, he reiterated his promise of soon. 

~*~

Stiles avidly stared at Derek as he started to fall asleep during their call, his eyes focusing on his lips as he uttered his promise before hanging up. 

"Damn I want to kiss him," Stiles admitted wistfully.

"So do it," his father told him as he walked past Stiles' open door.

Funny how it was starting to sound less and less impossible. 

~*~

Stiles found himself in the Hale's driveway, staring yearningly at the house yet again. Thinking that maybe, just maybe, if he stared and hoped hard enough they would magically be home. 

It was a stupid idea. He knew he shouldn't be there. And yet...

He couldn't help it. One moment he was laying in bed and the next thing he knew he was standing in front of their house. He should leave. He should turn around, climb into his jeep, and drive himself home. 

But...

It was late. He was tired. The key, which Stiles hadn't let out of his sight since Derek had handed it over, conveniently sat in his pocket. And it's not like anyone had to know he had stayed the night while they were gone. Who would tell? He sure as hell wouldn't. 

And with that thought, Stiles found himself on their porch and sliding the key home. With a simple click the door swung open. The house should be dark and have an unsettling feeling that all places seem to take on after being empty for a stretch of time. Instead, there was a brightness and a warmth inside, as if it was welcoming Stiles home.

Stiles shut his eyes as he roamed the downstairs, breathing in their familiar scent with every step. Aside from the silence, Stiles could almost delude himself into thinking that they were here. That they were home. 

But as soon as his eyes opened, the illusion shattered. The loneliness he'd been feeling since he watched the Camaro drive away came rushing back, settling heavy in his heart. 

He told himself to leave as his feet carried him upstairs, down the hall, and into Derek's bedroom. He didn't even hesitate as he climbed onto the bed, crawled under the covers, and snuggled into Derek's side of the bed. 

Stiles woke up, disorientated. He wasn't sure how much time had passed, minutes or hours. He was more focused on what had woken him up. He was sure he had heard something...

And then he heard it again, a soft crunch of gravel and then a thump from the porch. Stiles shot out of bed, his heart pounding a mile a minute. His mind raced as he tried to figure out what it could be. One of his friends, or maybe his dad coming to find him? A burglar? Or maybe just an animal looking for shelter or something to eat?

Not wanting to take any chances, Stiles grabbed the bat sitting in the corner of Derek's room before leaving the room. He made his way downstairs quietly, slowly raising the bat up. He heard something, or someone, outside as he got to the bottom step. And then the knob started to turn, Stiles cursed himself for not locking the door. If he got killed it was his own damn fault. Stiles held his breath as the door slowly creaked open.

"Ahhh!" Stiles yelled, bringing the bat down, as the stranger stuck their head in.

Taking Stiles by complete surprise, the stranger caught the bat before it could hit them. And then a familiar growl met his ears.

"What the hell Stiles?"

Stiles' knees went weak, nearly sending him to the floor.

"Derek?" Stiles squeaked in disbelief and relief. 

"What are you doing here?" Derek demanded.

He let go of the bat, which fell limply to Stiles' side.

"Me? What are  _ you _ doing here?" Stiles asked weakly, still not believing that Derek was right in front of him. 

"I live here," Derek reminded him with an eyeroll. "I was trying to surprise you. Something I probably shouldn't do again seeing as how you almost bludgeoned me."

"Oh right," Stiles murmured, cheeks going pink. "Umm, is Laura with you?"

"No, she's staying a bit longer. But I - I had to come home. I needed to see you. I missed you Stiles," Derek admitted in a whisper.

Once again Stiles' heart felt like it was going to pound right out of his chest. He wanted to respond, say he felt the same way. But it was as if something had lodged itself in his throat and he just couldn't find the words. So he just stepped forward, and clung to Derek's shirt with his empty hand. Derek's arms came up and wrapped tightly around him, making Stiles gasp. A sound of shock and pleasure. 

Their eyes locked. Stiles' filled with countless questions, Derek's with hardened determination. Derek brought his hands up and cradled Stiles' head in his hands.

"I've been wanting to do this for a very long time," Derek whispered quietly, vulnerably, before bringing their lips together. 

It started slow. Hesitant. And oh so, so gentle. But then the whole summer seemed to flood in. Getting to know each other, falling for each other, the not knowing, the desperate wanting, the distance, and so much time lost over unnecessary fear and uncertainty. 

The hesitation melted away. Slow and gentle flew out the window. In its place fast and rough, desperate and hungry. Their teeth clashed, their lips would be bruised but they didn't stop. They didn't care. The only thing that mattered was that it was finally happening. The need for oxygen was cursed each time they came up for air, but seconds later their lips came crashing back together. 

Derek drew Stiles' closer, grinding their hips together. Stiles gasped at the sensation. He wanted, needed to be closer. He wanted to run his hands all over Derek's body, claw his fingers through Derek's hair. He dropped the bat with the intention to do just that.

But then something changed, everything seemed to slow down as the clang of the bat hitting the floor reverberated through Stiles' head. He ignored it at first, all of his attention focused on Derek, only Derek. But the clanging just echoed, and echoed, and echoed...

Stiles jolted awake with an audible gasp, the high pitch of his alarm clock ringing through the room. He let out a frustrated groan once it sunk in that he had only been dreaming. And then embarrassment quickly rushed through him when he realized just how much his lower half approved of that dream. It had felt so real...

Derek’s hard body against his...Derek’s scent surrounding him...Derek’s soft lips on his…

Stiles’ eyes fluttered shut, replaying the kiss over and over in his head as his hand slowly made its way into his boxers. A few quick strokes was all it took before Stiles’ body shuddered, gasping out Derek’s name like a desperate plea. 

Stiles basked in the afterglow of his climax before he slowly opened his eyes, the mortification sinking in.

How the hell was he supposed to face Derek now?

~*~

  
Stiles drummed his fingers absently across his stomach. Scott, Allison, and Lydia were all lounged around Allison’s room, discussing something that Stiles had lost interest in a while ago. Something to do with school starting back up soon. They still had close to two months left of summer so Stiles didn’t see what the big deal was. 

“ I kissed Derek!” Stiles suddenly announced from where he was laying on Allison’s bed.

Their ongoing conversation suddenly died, leaving a tangible silence.

“Stiles!” Allison screeched.

“You did what now?” Scott asked, flustered.

“Finally,” Lydia said nonchalantly, flipping to the next page in her pamphlet.

“When?” Allison demanded as she sat next to him on her bed.

“Last night,” Stiles told her as he scratched at his neck nervously.

“Stiles!” Allison repeated, reaching out to shake his arm in excitement. “How was it?”

“Breathtaking,” Stiles answered honestly.

Allison repeated his name as she continued to shake his arm.

“Careful Alli,” Lydia warned. “You might bruise him.

“What happened after?” Scott asked. 

Suddenly, Stiles’ face went beat red. He silently chewed over how to tell his friends exactly what had happened after but he just wasn’t sure how to come out and say he’d masturbated. Multiple times.

“Wait,” Lydia interrupted, saving him. “When did he get back from New York?”

“Oh, he’s still there,” Stiles told her. “He’s supposed to be back in a few days.”

All of his friend’s faces clouded with confusion.

“Did I, uh, fail to mention that kissing him had all been a dream?” Stiles asked with a small laugh.

They simultaneously seemed to deflate in disappointment. 

“You're hopeless,” Lydia admonished. 

“All that excitement for nothing,” Allison pouted. 

“I should’ve known,” Scott muttered. 

Stiles just scowled at his friends. 

“The confidence is overwhelming guys. You really know how to build a guy up.”

“We should do something,” Allison suggested, an idea twinkling in her eye. An idea Stiles was sure he did not want to come to fruition. “Lydia, you have Laura's number don't you?”

“You're right Alli.” Lydia pulled out her phone and started to dial Laura. “We need to speed this along.”

Scott looked clueless but otherwise happy to go along with whatever Allison had in mind. 

Stiles on the other hand, was not. 

“No!” Stiles exclaimed as he reached over, snatched the phone out of Lydia's hand and quickly ended the call going out to Laura. “You do not need to speed anything along! I will handle this on my terms!”

Lydia glared at him but Stiles refused to back down and hugged her phone protectively against his chest. And really, since when did phones graduate to nearly the size of tablets? Was it really necessary? 

“But Stiles,” Allison wined. “At this rate you're gonna be announcing you guys got married in your dreams.”

That conjured an image of Derek decked out in a tux. And yea. That was a very appealing image. Stiles liked. Stiles liked a lot. Stiles quickly shook the image away, storing it away for another time. 

“Just hear me out,” Stiles pleaded. “I plan on telling him everything once he gets back from New York. Think about it. It'd be a lot better if it was done in person right?”

Scott and Allison slowly nodded in agreement while Lydia continued to stare at him doubtfully. 

“Come on Lydia, what'd you tell Jackson that first time he asked you out through text?”

Lydia sighed in defeat and mumbled, “I told him to grow some balls and ask me to my face…”

“Exactly! Not to mention, won't it mean a whole lot more if I tell him myself because I want to? Instead of it being forced out because of some scheme you work out with Laura?”

Lydia looked like she was still prepared to argue but soon caved. 

“Okay!” she cried in resignation. “You can tell him on your terms!”

“Thank you,” Stiles sighed in relief and handed over her phone. 

Now he just had to work up the courage to actually tell Derek how he felt. 

~*~

“Mm sleeping…” Stiles grumbled as he answered his phone, silencing the incessant chime announcing a video call. 

He cracked his eyes open just enough to recognize Laura grinning at him. 

“Morning grumpy,” she greeted with way too much cheer. 

“It's five,” Stiles reminded her around a yawn. Why Laura insisted on calling him at ungodly hours Stiles would never know. 

Laura just shrugged. 

“It's actually eight here. See.”

She turned the camera around to face a big picture window. Stiles flinched away from the brightness and huddled deeper into his covers. 

“Devil!” Stiles hissed as Laura laughed and turned the camera back around so it was focused on her. 

“You love me.”

“Mmhmm,” Stiles mumbled. He wasn't awake enough to argue with her. 

“So keep that in mind because I have some bad news,” she said nervously. 

Her tone had him jolting into a sitting position, suddenly wide awake. 

“What's wrong? Is everyone okay? Did Peter get worse?”

Laura rolled her eyes. 

“Relax Stiles. It's nothing like it. And Peter’s fine. But…he's healing slower than his doctor expected him to so we're gonna have to stay a bit longer than we thought. I had to move our flight to two weeks from now.”

She rattled it all off in one breath as if she was scared to share the news with Stiles. 

Stiles’ heart sank. They were supposed to be home in three days. It's all Stiles could think about. When Derek had told him Stiles had decided he'd meet them at the airport. He didn't care that Derek's Camaro was there waiting for them. Stiles had to see Derek as soon as possible. 

Now he had to wait another two weeks…

Laura looked at him in sympathy as he loosed a heavy sigh. 

“I'm sorry Stiles,” she whispered guiltily. 

Stiles gave her a small smile. 

“Nothing to be sorry about. Peter and Cora need you guys. I just really,  _ really _ miss you both. I had a sign made up for the airport and everything.” 

Laura rolled her eyes again and this time it hurt how much it reminded him of Derek. 

“Yea, I know who you really,  _ really  _ miss.”

“I have no idea what you are insinuating,” Stiles retorted, putting on an affronted air. 

“Yea, yea,” Laura said around a small laugh. “He will probably call you later and tell you about it too so I just wanted to give you a heads up so you don't seem  _ too _ disappointed. He already feels bad enough. I'd hate to see him moping more than he already is.”

“He's moping?” Stiles asked, feeling oddly pleased. 

“He would never admit it, but yes. And if you mention it I will deny it to my grave.” 

Once he ended the call with Laura, Stiles fell back asleep comforted by the thought that Derek seemed to miss him as much as he missed Derek. 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter will be up on November 6th. See you then!
> 
> Hope you are enjoying!
> 
> Come say hi and hang out:
> 
> https://1gurgi1.tumblr.com/


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Teen Wolf belongs to MTV and Jeff Davis

Those two weeks of waiting went surprisingly fast for Stiles. 

With school right around the corner, the store was flooded with customers trying to find a good deal on textbooks. Most of them complained about the exorbitant prices as if Stiles had come up with them. 

Stiles was right there with them. He had received all of his class syllabuses for the coming semester and if he bought all of his textbooks brand new, he was looking at a total of around $700. He opted to scour the internet for used copies and still the price tag was looking to be in the $300 range. 

He refused to ask his dad for money; he spent way too much on Stiles’ schooling as it was. Danny offered to see if he could get Stiles on at the movie theater to help him bring in more cash so now Stiles was working two part time jobs. 

He was exhausted but relieved that he wasn’t going to have to burden his dad. And a bonus upside to being so busy and exhausted, Stiles barely had the time and brain capacity to dwell on Derek being gone and when Derek was coming back. 

So before Stiles knew it, the day that Laura and Derek were coming home was finally here. 

“You are still coming back tomorrow right?” He’d asked the night before on video chat with Derek. 

“Right?!” Stiles repeated,  _ demanded,  _ in response to Derek's amused snort. 

“Yes, Stiles, we are coming back tomorrow,” Derek told him, smiling fondly as Stiles visibly relaxed at the assurance. 

“Good. I miss your guys’ faces.”

“My face is right here,” Derek had told him with an eye roll. 

“Not the same,” Stiles said with a dismissive hand motion. “It’s too grainy. Sometimes pixelated.” 

Still breathtakingly perfect. But not nearly as perfect as seeing his beautiful face in person. In person he could see every feature in perfect detail. In person he could hug...touch...kiss…

Well the hugging and the touching and the kissing would only be an option if Stiles mustered up some courage and finally told Derek how he felt. 

Because really, how was he supposed to stay  _ just _ friends with someone he wanted to kiss all the time?

Stiles had requested the day off for both jobs and luckily both didn’t need him that day. He intended on spending all day with Derek. Despite Stiles insisting that it was no big deal and he didn’t mind doing it, Derek and Laura had said there was no need to pick them up at the airport and to just meet them at the house. 

Stiles gripped the Hale’s house key, remembering what Derek had said before they had left. 

_ Could you be here when we get back? There’s something I want to talk about… _ ” 

Stiles worried at his bottom lip, hoping that what Derek wanted to talk about was the same thing Stiles wanted to talk about. But he also didn’t want to get his hopes up too much. He didn’t think he’d be able to stand it if he did. 

If Derek didn’t return his feelings things would get awkward,  _ too _ awkward. Sure they’d probably promise to not let it affect their friendship and Stiles would try to bury his feelings and try to move on but Stiles knows himself. He obsessed over Lydia for nearly 8 years before finally admitting to himself that they just weren’t meant to be. 

How long would it take him to move on from Derek if needed? How long until their friendship got back to how close they are now? Would it? Or would their friendship splinter into nothing and Derek would disappear from his life? 

But then again, now Lydia was one of his closest friends. So maybe it is possible to remain friends with someone you harbor feelings for when they don’t feel the same way. Or maybe him and Lydia were just a special circumstance. 

Stiles wasn’t sure. 

But what Stiles was sure of that the way he felt about Lydia and the way he feels about Derek are worlds apart. He was able to heal from the heartbreak that was Lydia Martin. A Derek Hale heartbreak was something he couldn’t come back from. If he lost Derek, that would be a scar that would fester for the rest of his life. 

_ So don’t lose him  _ Stiles thought vehemently to himself. 

According to everyone in his life, he wouldn’t. Derek felt the same way Stiles did. According to Laura, Derek had it bad for Stiles. So Stiles really had nothing to worry about. 

Except for that tiny, annoying, hard to ignore voice in his head that kept whispering  _ what if?  _

“Stiles? You’re still here? I figured you’d be halfway to the airport by now.”

The sheriff's voice broke Stiles out of his internal musings, causing Stiles to jump and grapple for his phone in a blind panic thinking he was late. It was only 9:50. Their plane was scheduled to land at 10 and Derek had said they’d be home around 11:30. 

Stiles sighed in relief. 

“You really scared me for a second dad,” Stiles admitted. “But no, I’m not going to the airport. They said to just meet up with them at their house.” 

“And you’re actually listening to them?” The sheriff asked in disbelief. 

“Why wouldn’t I?” Stiles demanded even though every part of him was itching to hop in his Jeep and violate many speed limits in order to jump Derek as soon as he stepped off the plane. 

“Really son?” The Sheriff asked, raising an eyebrow. “I literally had to stop you from blowing your school savings on a flight to New York.  _ Twice.”  _

Stiles’ cheeks burned and he looked away in embarrassment. He hadn’t seriously considered buying the tickets either time. He just really,  _ really _ missed Derek. 

“I’ve waited this long,” Stiles answered with a shrug. “Another hour and a half won’t kill me.”

Torture him? Sure. But kill him? Probably not. 

“Besides, Derek gave me a key,” Stiles confessed casually as he threw a plaid button up over his t-shirt and pocketed his keys. 

“He gave you a key?” The sheriff repeated, dumbfounded. “I guess I shouldn’t expect you home tonight then.” 

“Yea, I’m not sure dad,” Stiles answered, interpreting the sheriff's statement as a question. 

He was hunting his room for Order of the Phoenix. Derek had mentioned on one of their many calls that he had finally finished Goblet of Fire and was ready for the next book. Stiles told him he didn’t have to wait until he was home, that he could just buy his own copy anywhere he liked but Derek refused, saying he wanted to keep borrowing Stiles’ copies. And really, how was Stiles supposed to interpret that? 

“No, son,” the sheriff said with a soft laugh. “ _ I’m not expecting you home tonight _ .” 

He said the words slowly so that Stiles caught his drift this time. The color rose in Stiles’ cheeks and he gripped the key Derek had given him tightly. 

“ _ Dad!”  _ Stiles finally spluttered. “It’s not even like that!” 

Though he wasn’t able to meet his dad's eyes through the denial. 

“Whatever you say Stiles,” his father conceded, raising his hands in surrender. “Tell them it’s good to have them home.” 

“Sure thing dad. See ya!”

Stiles clapped his hand on his dad's shoulder as he walked past, taking the stairs two at a time as he left. 

~*~

Stiles had left a little earlier than necessary. He was too keyed up about finally seeing Derek after what seemed like ages and he also hadn’t been in a hurry to have a talk about his _feelings_ with his dad. He appreciated all of the support and encouragement and assurance his friends and his dad had been giving him, but it was something that he had to figure out on his own. 

Stiles pulled into the diner, prepared to kill some time sitting at the counter and munching on a plate of curly fries until it was time to go meet up with Derek and Laura. 

His phone chimed, alerting a text as he seated himself at the counter. 

“Just a plate of curly fries and a water please,” Stiles told the waiter managing the counter before pulling his phone out of his pocket. 

**[From Lydia: Today’s the day, right?]**

**[To Lydia: Yepp! :D**

**Seeing him soon!]**

**[From Lydia: Wear protection]**

Stiles flushed and then glared at his phone before slipping it back into his pocket. 

Stiles’ leg bounced erratically as he waited at the counter, eating his fries and checking his phone every few minutes. He wasn’t really expecting to hear from Derek since he would be home so soon but he figured Laura would at least notify him that they had landed safely. And sure enough, at half past, his phone chimed again.

**[From Laura: T-Minus 30!]**

Stiles jumped a bit in surprise, thinking it would have taken them a lot longer to get out to the Camaro but was happy nonetheless to shovel the rest of his fries into his mouth, suck down his glass of water, slam a ten dollar bill on the counter and run out to his jeep.

Derek here he comes. 

~*~

“Derek,” Laura chided. Again. 

Derek glanced at the speedometer. He was inching up to 70 in a 50. Reluctantly, he eased up on the gas with a low grumble. Laura patted his arm in understanding as the needle started to wind down. 

“I know you’re eager to get home Der, but wrapping us around a tree isn’t the way to do it. Calm down. We’re almost there.” 

At that, Derek started to picture reuniting with Stiles and his foot slowly started to put pressure back on the gas pedal, earning a sigh from Laura. 

“No comments,” Derek ordered. 

“Excuse me?” Laura asked with a haughty huff. 

“No comments,” Derek repeated. “No comments, no hints, no insinuations, and no pictures.”

Derek finished rattling off all of the things Laura was forbidden to do before he finally got his feeling off of his chest and confessed to Stiles, hoping that it wouldn’t result in Stiles turning him down. 

But then Derek remembered how Stiles had looked at him before they had left and he replayed every conversation they’d had while he’d been gone and once again he thought to himself that maybe, just maybe, Stiles was aching for him as much as he had been aching for Stiles. 

“You don’t own him you know?” Laura asked indignantly, snapping Derek out of his thoughts. 

“What?”

“Stiles. You don’t own him. He’s my friend too and I miss him just as much as you do.”

Derek scoffed. He highly doubted that. 

“You want me to tell Stiles how I feel, right?”

Laura sighed. 

“You know I do Der.”

“Then no comments,” Derek repeated, speeding past the sign that read Welcome to Beacon Hills! 

~*~

Stiles was sitting on the bottom step of the Hale house staircase as he waited for Laura and Derek. The anxious bouncing of his foot on the hardwood floor was the only sound in the house. Stiles’ hands were linked together, the key that Derek had given him wedged between his palms. The key ring was poking through his linked fingers and Stiles had started worrying at it with his teeth. 

Stiles’ foot stuttered to a stop and the key ring fell from his lips when he heard the crunch of gravel, announcing their arrival. His heart rate kicked into over drive because holy fuck he was about to see Derek again. 

“Okay buddy, you can do this…” Stiles whispered under his breath, giving himself a little pep talk as he pushed himself to his feet, wiping sweaty palms on his pants. Stiles hadn’t realized his hands were shaking until he’d gone to rake his fingers through his hair. 

Stiles had another moment to take a few steadying breaths before the front door flew open and Derek rushed inside. 

The expression on Derek’s face looked like he’d been prepared to search out Stiles in the house but then he froze upon seeing Stiles standing there and their eyes locked. Stiles wasn’t sure how to decipher what he was seeing in Derek's eyes but Stiles felt like a deer in headlights; unsure of what to do next. 

He barely registered Laura’s voice trailing in after Derek. (Derek! At least grab your bags!) 

Instead, Stiles’ entire focus was devoted to Derek. Whose entrance into the house, back into Stiles’ life, seemed to have brought everything into sudden clarity. 

God, had he really forgotten how beautiful Derek was? 

“Stiles.”

Stiles couldn’t help the sharp intake of breath at the sound of his name. Their phone calls hadn’t done Derek’s voice justice. 

“Derek.” 

The simple utterance of each other’s names seemed to break whatever spell had been over them and they smiled warmly at each other before stepping forward for a much needed embrace, as if some magnetic force was urging the two back to each other. 

Neither seemed ready to let go. Neither minded that this embrace was so much more than any of the few they’d shared before. More intimate. More defining. 

They clung to each other like a much needed lifeline, like an anchor; afraid that if they let go they’d become unmoored once again. 

This was it. This was the moment. After all this time, Stiles was  _ finally  _ going to admit his feelings to Derek. And one way or the other, things were going to change. He just hoped it wouldn’t be for the worse. 

Stiles stepped back slightly but still kept a firm grip on Derek’s waist. Stiles couldn’t be completely sure but it didn’t seem like Derek was a big fan of that little gap of space. Stiles wasn’t either but if he was going to do this he had to look Derek in the eyes. 

“Look Derek, the thing is…” Stiles started with his head slightly ducked. 

He hesitated with his words, unsure how to begin and what all to say. Resolving himself, he decided to just let the words flow without much thought. It had gotten him through life just fine so far, why would it fail him now? 

“Derek I…” Stiles began again, this time raising his head to look at Derek. Derek who had a firm grip on his forearms and was looking at him questioningly. And as soon as Stiles looked into Derek's eyes- those beautiful grey-green eyes- the words lodged in his throat. 

Thankfully that was when Laura walked in like the goddess that she was. 

“Laura!”

Stiles’ voice went up a few octaves and he said her name a little louder than was necessary as he pulled away from Derek. For a second it felt like Derek's grip in his forearms had tightened; as if he was reluctant to let go. 

“Stiles!” Laura returned warmly, beaming at him as she wrapped him into a tight hug. 

Too nervous to face Derek again, Stiles hugged Laura longer than was needed; missing the silent exchange between brother and sister. 

_ I said no comments!  _ Derek shouted at Laura with a glare.  _ I didn’t say anything!  _ Laura shot back with an arched eyebrow. 

“Bags…” Derek grunted as he swept past to head back out to the car. Laura pulled away from Stiles to stare after her brother in exasperation. 

“So, how was your flight?” Stiles asked, trying to sound casual. 

Laura turned back to Stiles, here eyebrows pinched together in worry, registering how  _ off _ Stiles sounded. 

“Stiles, sweetie, are you alright?”

Stiles’ false cheer fell from his face under Laura’s scrutiny and he ducked his head to avoid her eyes; eyes that were so much like Derek’s. 

“I was all amped up to tell Derek how I felt when I saw him but then as soon I saw his stupidly gorgeous face I just couldn’t…” Stiles admitted quietly. 

Stiles heard Laura take deep breath as she once again marveled at the sheer amount of stupidity that Stiles and her brother shared. Dealing with these two dancing around their feelings couldn’t be good for her health. It just couldn’t. Which is how she reasoned that breaking her promise to Derek was okay. 

“Stiles,” Laura said as she gently took his hand, causing Stiles to look back at her. “Look, I promised Derek I wouldn’t  _ ‘make any comments’ _ but I think you should know. In New York? Derek got asked out on a date and-“ 

At the word ‘date’ Stiles’ brain kind of short circuited. The rest of Laura’s words faded to a high pitched ringing. 

A date. Derek had gone on a date. 

“Sorry, Laura,” Stiles interrupted, cutting off the rest of her words. “I’ve- I’ve gotta go...” 

With that, Stiles stumbled out of the house; ignoring Laura as she called after him. 

“Stiles?” 

Derek was walking back up to the house with their bags strewn over his arms. He was looking at Stiles with a mixture of confusion and worry. 

“Is everything okay?” 

“I’ve gotta go,” Stiles repeated weakly, unable to meet Derek's eyes again. 

“I need-I need Scott,” Stiles mumbled and then screwed his eyes shut as he corrected himself. “I mean Scott needs me,” as he patted his pants leg, indicating his phone as if he’d received a text. 

“Oh, okay,” Derek said, though he still looked worried and Stiles thought he sounded a little disappointed. 

Yeah. Stiles was too. 

“Will I see you later? Tomorrow?” 

“Sure thing, big guy,” Stiles agreed, plastering on what he hoped was a reassuring smile before sliding into his Jeep and driving away. 

As soon as he was out of sight of the Hale property, Stiles pulled to the side of the road and speed dialed Scott. Stiles rested his head on the steering wheel as he waited for his best friend to answer. 

“Stiles?” Scott answered in confusion. He probably hadn’t expected to hear from Stiles until later tonight, if at all. He knew Derek was coming home today, what Stiles had planned on doing. 

“Scottie…” Stiles said, his voice cracking slightly. 

“Stiles,” Scott repeated, this time with worry. “How’d it go?” 

He sounded hesitant. As if he already knew the answer. 

“It didn’t.” 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter will be up on November 13th. See you then!
> 
> I sincerely apologize for being a cruel, cruel human being...
> 
> Hope you are enjoying!
> 
> Come say hi and hang out:
> 
> https://1gurgi1.tumblr.com/


	21. Chapter 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Teen Wolf belongs to MTV and Jeff Davis

“Scottie? You know how we used to always talk about taking a road trip down to Mexico? We should do that. Like now. Just take off for a couple of weeks before heading back to school.” 

Stiles proposed this idea while laying face down on Scott’s bed, hugging a pillow close to his head. Scott was sitting next to him and trying his best to be supportive like the best friend that he was but that was kind of hard to do when Stiles had yet to explain exactly what was going on. 

Stiles had driven straight to Scott’s after calling him. Without saying a word he had just let himself in and proceeded to collapse onto Scott’s bed. 

It was his first instinct to run to his best friend when he needed to escape from the world and right now, that’s all he wanted. An escape. 

“You can’t just ignore your problems until they go away Stiles,” Scott answered sympathetically, placing a comforting hand on Stiles’ shoulder. 

“Why not?” Stiles grumbled before turning his face into Scott’s pillow. 

“Are you going to tell me what happened?” Scott prodded gently, pushing his knee into Stiles’ arm. 

Stiles curled into himself, wishing he could just make himself smaller and eventually disappear, before giving a relenting sigh and turning his head back to Scott. 

“Derek went on a date…” Stiles whispered while also mentally cringing away from the words. 

Derek had gone on a date. Now matter how many times he thought those words he just couldn’t manage to wrap his head around them. 

Why hadn’t Derek told him?

At least if Derek had told him during one of their many phone conversations he would’ve had time to come to terms with it by the time Derek came home. It wouldn’t have felt like a slap to the face to hear it from Laura as if it was some dirty secret that Stiles wasn’t supposed to be privy to. And if Stiles had known that Derek was dating he wouldn’t have spent so much time gearing himself up to confess his feelings for Derek. 

Now he just had this ball of confusing feelings taking up room in his chest and he wished they would all just go away and let him breathe. 

“A date?” Scott asked and for some reason he almost sounded disappointed. “That’s it?” 

Stiles pushed himself up into a sitting position so fast it caused the old bed frame to creak in protest. 

“What do you mean ‘ _ that's it’?”  _ Stiles demanded indignantly. “I’m emotionally distraught here Scott!” 

“I’m not trying to be a jerk Stiles. But it was just the one date right? Lots of people go on first dates and have nothing come of it,” Scott finished with a shrug earning a glare from Stiles. 

“But it’s Derek!” Stiles whined.

Scott just rolled his eyes. 

“Dude, Derek likes you,” Scott pointed out, causing Stiles to scoff. 

“So you and everyone else says…” Stiles mumbled. “If he likes me so much, why’d he go on a date?” 

“Because  _ he _ doesn’t know that  _ you _ like  _ him _ . The guy was just trying to live his life Stiles. You can’t blame him for that.” 

“Oh! So it’s my fault that he went on that date?” 

“Yes!” Scott agreed. 

Stiles narrowed his eyes at his best friend. Then he sighed and fell backwards onto the mattress, causing the bed frame to creak again. 

Maybe Scott had a point. 

“So, who’d he go on a date with anyway?” 

Stiles shrugged his shoulders. 

“I don’t know. I didn’t ask. As soon as Laura said that he’d been asked on a date I kind of high tailed it out of there.” 

“Wait...Laura told you? Not Derek?” Scott asked. 

“Yea, Laura. Derek was outside grabbing their bags from the car,” Stiles explained. 

His explanation was met with silence. An accusing silence. Stiles glanced over at Scott only to meet a pair of raised eyebrows. Stiles wriggled under the scrutiny. 

“What?” he demanded, getting defensive. 

“So you don’t even know Derek's side of the story?” 

“Uh, no?” Stiles answered. 

Scott just signed. 

“You need to talk to him, Stiles.” 

Stiles changed his mind. Scott had zero points. 

~*~ 

Stiles was torn between feeling like a coward and feeling like the worst friend in the world. 

After three weeks of moping over Derek being gone, Stiles had fully expected to be glued to Derek's side once he got back from New York. Especially since Stiles had imagined Derek's return going a lot differently. He was supposed to confess his feelings and then Derek was going to miraculously feel the same way and then they were going to be  _ together _ and live happily ever after. 

But Stiles was a coward and couldn’t even bring himself to face Derek. And Stiles was a horrible friend and was making excuses for bailing on Derek and actively ignoring his and Laura’s texts and phone calls. 

Stiles chalked his behavior up to needing time. He just needed a bit of time in order to be around Derek like he was before without pesky feelings getting in the way. He just needed time so that his heart wouldn’t clench with rejection the next time he saw him. Stiles just needed time. 

But really, how were you supposed to tell the person you have feelings for that you need time to get over them not having feelings for you without revealing that you in fact have feelings for them? 

The thought made Stiles’ head hurt. And his heart. 

He knew Scott was right and that he couldn’t blame Derek for living his life but regardless, his heart hurt. A lot. 

The night that Derek had come home, he’d tried calling Stiles but Stiles hadn’t answered. That first missed call had been an accident. He’d fallen asleep at Scott’s and just never felt his phone ring. So he woke up the next day to a missed call from both Derek and Laura. No voicemail but there was a missed text from Derek. 

**[are you free tomorrow?]**

Stiles had to work at the bookstore and the movie theater that day so at least he didn’t have to lie to Derek. At least not yet. 

**[sorry. Working all day unless you wanna stop by the book store]**

Stiles wasn’t sure why he phrased it that way. Derek always came by the bookstore. If Stiles was busy he’d just browse until he was able to hang out at the counter with him. 

He figured Derek had picked up on the strangeness of the text because all he texted back was okay. 

He never stopped by the bookstore. 

Stiles told himself he was relieved and that everything was going to be fine but later that night Danny had to snap his fingers in front of Stiles’ face. Stiles had zoned out while thinking about the whole Derek situation while filling up a large drink and it was seconds away from over filling and spilling over. 

“Dude, are you okay?” Danny asked after handing the drink off to the couple that was giving Stiles curious looks. 

“Yea,” Stiles answered, bobbing his head robotically. “Sorry Danny. Just got a lot on my mind.” 

“Derek?” Danny prodded. “He’s back isn’t he?” 

Stiles dodged the question by stepping up to the register to help the next customer. 

~*~ 

This pattern continued for the next few days and every single time Stiles made up some excuse not to see or talk to Derek he just felt more and more guilty. The guilt just grew every time he scrolled through his phone log to see the countless number of missed calls from both Laura and Derek. 

Stiles knew he couldn’t keep this up forever. He would have to face Derek eventually. Especially if he didn’t want to lose Derek as a friend. With the way Stiles was acting, Derek had every right to be mad at him and never want to speak to him again. 

Stiles refused to let that happen. It didn’t matter what happened, as long as he kept Derek in his life somehow. That’s what he told himself anyway. 

And yet, he still couldn’t bring himself to respond to Derek's latest text. 

**[have I done something wrong?]**

Stiles still had no idea how to answer that. 

So he didn’t. 

Stiles groaned and dropped his head onto the counter at work. 

He really was a horrible friend. 

~*~ 

Stiles was ringing up a line of customers at the bookstore when the bell above the entrance rang, drawing Stiles’ attention. 

Stiles froze when he saw Derek standing there, staring at him with a mix of confusion and hurt clearly etched on his face. 

Stiles’ heart clenched. Stiles tried to convey some sort of apology with his eyes before bringing his attention back to the customer that had started impatiently drumming their fingers on the counter. 

Stiles had no idea how to proceed once the last customer in line had finished checking out. The first time in weeks that the store wasn’t filled with anxious college students scrambling to purchase their required readings and it’s when Stiles felt cornered into facing Derek. Typical. 

“Hey…” Stiles greeted weekly as Derek stepped up to the counter, shifting his eyes to just over Derek's shoulder. 

“Stiles.” Derek said, shifting a bit to try to catch Stiles’ eyes. Stiles just dropped his down to the counter and started shuffling some papers around haphazardly. 

“What’s up?” Stiles asked, forcing himself to sound a lot more cheerful than he actually felt.

“Stiles, will you  _ please _ tell me what is going on?” 

The plea in Derek's voice is what forced Stiles to properly look at him. Stiles nearly flinched away. The hurt that was dwelling in Derek's eyes was all Stiles’ fault and all he wanted to do was wrap Derek in a warm hug. 

“I-I don’t know what you want me to say Derek,” Stiles told him honestly. 

He was over lying to Derek. He was over making excuses. He just wanted things to go back to the way they were. 

“You can start by telling me why you left so suddenly after we got back?” 

“Something came up,” Stiles answered feebly. 

So much for being over lying. 

“And I get that. If Scott needed you then Scott needed you. But Stiles, we’ve been back a week and that night was the last time we saw you. Laura’s worried.” 

“Just Laura?” Stiles asked before he could stop himself. 

“Worried? Stiles I’ve been beside myself.  _ I’ve missed you.  _ And I thought you missed me too? Did I read that wrong?” 

Stiles couldn’t believe what he was seeing. Derek standing there, pleading with Stiles to make him understand. 

“Of course I missed you, big guy,” Stiles whispered quietly, trying to muster up a semblance of a smile but it fell short. 

Derek had started to smile back when he heard the nickname but then it fell just as Stiles’ smile faltered. 

“Then what is it Stiles? Is it because I went to New York? Look, I’m sorry-“ 

“Don’t apologize for that,” Stiles interrupted him sternly. “Peter and Cora needed you.” 

Derek sighed, still at a loss as to what was going on. 

“I don’t get it. One day you’re telling me that you can’t wait for me to be back and the next you can barely make eye contact with me. What did I do Stiles?” 

“You went on a date…” Stiles mumbled as he dropped his eyes, his fingers tightening around the edge of the counter. 

The words tumbled out of his mouth without much thought but now, there they were, out in the open. His words were met with a stunned silence and Stiles tensed up, preparing himself for the rejection that was inevitably coming. 

“What?” Derek finally managed. 

He sounded shocked. So Laura had never told Derek that she had told Stiles. 

“Laura told me you were asked on a date,” Stiles repeated, raising his eyes to meet Derek’s. 

The statement came out a lot more accusatory than Stiles had planned. What right did Stiles have to accuse Derek of anything? Derek wasn’t his. 

And then suddenly a wave of bravery came over him and words were just spilling from his mouth because he so desperately wanted Derek to be his. 

“And it just hit me like a brick Derek, that you don’t feel the way about me the way that I feel about you. Because I like you Der. I mean I really like you. Like a lot. 

And I thought that maybe you felt the same way because everyone seemed to be on the same page about us being in some serious like with each other and then there were all of these little moments but I guess I just read too much into those because you going on a date kinda screams loud and clear that once again, Stiles Stilinski stands zero chance with the object of his affections.” 

Stiles paused and let out a self deprecating laugh as he shook his dead. Derek opened his mouth to speak but Stiles just plowed on, needing to get it all out before he chickened out. 

“And you not liking me back is  _ fine _ Derek. Honestly it is. And I kept telling myself that you probably  _ didn’t  _ like me back and that I shouldn’t get my hopes up. And I told myself that if you didn’t return my feelings that I wouldn’t let it affect our friendship cause I wasn’t willing to risk our friendship Der. I didn’t want to lose you. I  _ can’t  _ lose you. 

But that’s exactly what I did, isn’t it? I risked our friendship. I needed time to just wrap my head around it all so I pushed you out without even explaining myself which was  _ selfish _ and  _ wrong _ but I just-I didn’t know what else to do Derek. I was afraid. I was-  _ am _ afraid of losing you. Just...don’t hate me, okay? You can be mad. You  _ should  _ be mad. Just don’t hate me.” 

Stiles finished, pleading with Derek to stay his friend. To not walk away and leave him behind. 

A tense silence settled over the two of them as Stiles waited for Derek to pass some sort of judgement. Stiles felt the need to bolt but he forced himself to stay put. 

Derek took another step close to the counter and Stiles inhaled sharply, holding his breath. 

“Can I speak now?” Derek asked. 

Even though he was nervous to hear what Derek had to say, Stiles nodded jerkily, taking Derek’s calm tone as promising. 

“First of all, I could never hate you Stiles,” Derek promised him. 

“Second of all,  _ please _ never listen to Laura again.” 

Derek reached out slowly and gently wrapped Stiles’ hands in his own, giving them a reassuring squeeze. Stiles looked at his caged hands with furrowed brows, his mouth open in an ‘ _ o _ ’ of surprise because that was  _ new _ . He didn’t really know where they stood still though and he glanced up at Derek, hoping for some answers. 

“And thirdly, I think I need to tell you what happened in New York.” 

Stiles ducked his head back down. It was bad enough knowing about the date. He didn’t need to hear all the details. 

“You don’t need to Derek,” Stiles whispered. “It’s fine. I’ll be fine.” 

“Stiles, I promise you’ll want to hear this.” 

“Derek, I can guarantee you that I don’t.” 

Derek just squeezed Stiles’ hands a little tighter and looked at him imploringly. 

“Stiles,  _ please.” _

Stiles blinked, caught off guard by the plea in Derek's voice. 

“Dude, not fair…” Stiles grumbled, earning a low chuckle from Derek. “Fine. Tell me all about your stupid date…” 

Derek let out another low chuckle and Stiles just glared at him. He couldn’t believe the jerk was enjoying this. Stiles had just put his feelings out there, was basically wearing his heart on his sleeve, and here Derek was.  _ Laughing  _ at him. 

“When Laura first talked me into moving back here with her, I honestly wasn’t sure if I was going to stay. I didn’t plan on it at least. So I just put in an extended leave of absence in case I decided to move back. But I’m sure now. So I spent our last week in New York tying up loose ends. And one of those things was quitting my personal trainer job-“ 

“You’re a personal trainer?” Stiles interrupted. 

“Was,” Derek corrected. “I never told you that?” 

“You never mentioned it,” Stiles pointed out. 

“You never asked,” Derek shot back. 

Which. Fair. 

“Whatever,” Stiles amended. “Continue. You quit your job…?” 

“Yes. And one of my clients that I briefly had a fling with a few years ago, she asked me out to dinner for old times sake.” 

“Is she pretty?” 

Stiles cringed after the question popped out of his mouth. Why had he asked that? He didn’t want to know. 

Derek huffed out another amused chuckle. 

“Yes Stiles, she’s very pretty.” 

Stiles dropped his eyes at Derek's confirmation. Huh. Who knew you could feel such jealously over someone you’d never even met. Let alone seen. 

“But she’s also kind of a manipulative bitch,” Derek continued. 

The pronouncement drew Stiles’ eyes right back to Derek’s. Stiles was...confused to say the least. 

“Then why did you go on a date with her Derek? At least pick someone nice. You deserve someone nice…” 

“She didn’t take it too well when I turned her down,” Derek continued, ignoring Stiles’ comments. “I guess she assumed I’d say yes.” 

Wait, what? Stiles blinked in confusion. 

“But Laura said…?” 

“Laura told you I was  _ asked  _ on a date. You left before she could tell you that I said  _ no _ .” 

Derek tightened his grip around Stiles’ hands. 

“I told her that I had someone in California I had to get back to Stiles.” 

Derek said it very slowly, gauging Stiles’ reaction to his words. Stiles blinked again, slowly processing the declaration. 

_ Oh.  _

And now Derek was the one lowering his eyes, the tips of his ears tinged from embarrassment. And damn if that wasn’t the most adorable sight Stiles had ever seen. 

Stiles took a deep breath and gently pulled his hands back, prompting Derek to let them go, before gently threading their fingers together. Derek glanced up with a shy smile and swept his thumb over Stiles’ knuckles. 

“So,” Stiles started, leaning closer over the counter. “Basically I’m a moron?” 

“Yes,” Derek answered simply. Fondly. “But that’s not really news to anyone.” 

“Rude!” Stiles shouted indignantly. 

Stiles started to pull his hands back but Derek tightened his hold. Stiles didn’t fight it. 

“You’re not going to let go?” Stiles asked, a slight tremor entering his voice. 

“No, I’m not,” Derek answered simply. 

They locked eyes, both of them knowing that the promise transcended more than their entwined hands, more than this one moment. 

“Sooo…you like me then?” Stiles asked with a shy smile. 

Derek ducked his head as he let out a small huff of laughter before looking back up at Stiles. 

“Yes Stiles, I like you.” 

Stiles bit his lip and tightened his hold on Derek’s hands. 

“Good.” 

They just stared at each, processing that their feelings were now out in the open and that they were returned, neither sure how to proceed. 

The quiet clearing of someone’s throat drew Stiles’ attention to a girl that was hovering a couple of feet behind Derek. 

“Umm, I’m really happy for the two of you but I'm kind of ready to check out?” the girl hesitantly said as she held up the books she was trying to purchase. 

Stiles and Derek both flushed in embarrassment as they gently, reluctantly, unlocked their hands. 

“Sorry!” Stiles exclaimed as Derek stepped off to the side, allowing the girl to step up to the counter. 

Stiles quickly rang up the girls purchases, trying and failing not to keep glancing over at Derek. Derek who was standing off to the side of the counter patiently, a soft smile on his face. The sight set off a jumble of happiness, nervousness, and anticipation in Stiles’ stomach. 

A few more customers emerged from the store's shelves along with a couple coming in through the front door, creating a small line. Stiles wished he could just usher them all quickly out of the store and hurry back over to Derek. Instead, he plastered on his best smile until there was only one customer left. 

Deciding it was time for a much needed break, Stiles chatted amicably with the customer as he walked with them to the door and then hurriedly flipped the door sign to Out For Lunch! 

Stiles took a step backwards from the door and took a steadying breath, preparing himself to face Derek. Stiles nearly jumped out of his skin when Derek's hand suddenly landed on his hip. 

Stiles spun around to face a very nervous looking Derek. 

“Sorry,” Derek breathed, looking sheepish. “I didn’t mean to scare you.” 

Stiles just smiled softly at him before tentatively taking a step closer. 

“‘S okay big guy,” Stiles assured him. “Just surprised me is all.” 

“So, this is okay?” Derek asked as he placed his hands on Stiles’ waist and pulled him even closer. 

“More than okay,” Stiles told him, taking in a shaky breath. 

“Good,” Derek replied simply, his eyes dropping down to Stiles’ lips before flicking up. 

“So...you’re for sure staying then?” Stiles asked, his tongue darting out to lick at his lips. “Cause I didn’t realize you  _ not _ staying was even an option. That’s another thing that never came up by the way. And I just wanna be sur-“

“Yes, Stiles,” Derek interrupted. “I’m staying.” 

Stiles looked into Derek's eyes and nodded, unable to doubt the sincerity that was swimming in them. Stiles took in another shaky breath and brought his hands up to rest on Derek’s chest. Derek lifted one of his hands from Stiles’ waist and raised it to wrap around one of Stiles’ hands. 

“Because of the books?” Stiles whispered, echoing one of the earliest conversations they’d had right there in that very spot. 

Another quiet huff of laughter slipped past Derek's lips. Stiles was so close he could feel it ghost over his face. 

“Yes Stiles, because of the books,” Derek confirmed. 

Stiles opened his mouth, prepared to say something else but then Derek's lips were on his and Stiles’ eyes fluttered shut as his mind went blank. 

Stiles had fantasized and dreamt about this moment so often over the past few months that he figured he’d be prepared for kissing Derek. He wasn’t. 

Every fantasy of his had been tinged with a mad desperation as if they only had so much time and were hurtling for the finish line. They had been hard and frantic. All tongue. Teeth clashing and getting in the way. 

This kiss was nothing like that. This very real kiss was languid, tender. It was slow and hesitant as they took the time to learn and explore each other’s mouths, reveling in the ability to finally do so. 

They took their time because they had all the time in the world. 

They broke apart for a fraction of a second to breathe, for amber to gaze into grey-green, before bringing their lips back together. Only this time Derek's hands were suddenly cradling Stiles’ face as if he was some fragile thing that Derek was terrified he’d break. 

Now Stiles broke the kiss, causing Derek to lean forward as he tried to follow. 

“What’s wrong? Did I do someth-“ Derek started to ask breathlessly only to be interrupted by Stiles turning his head slightly to kiss Derek's palm that was still cradling his cheek. 

“Nothings wrong. You did nothing wrong,” Stiles assured him, just as breathless. “But I’m still on the clock. Not exactly the best time or place to finally get our shit together, huh?” 

Stiles chuckled before placing another kiss to Derek's palm. Derek smiled fondly at Stiles as he dragged his thumb slowly across Stiles’ cheek. 

“We could’ve done this a week ago but someone decided to sulk over a non-existent date,” Derek pointed out, earning a glare from Stiles. 

“Hey! I had a wounded heart Derek Hale! I thought you’d gone on a date with some floozy!” 

“Floozy?” Derek asked with a snort. “Really? You could’ve just said something Stiles.” 

“Same goes for you big guy,” Stiles shot back with a light hit to Derek's chest. 

Derek chuckled and nodded but then his smile slightly faltered and he shut his eyes as he dropped his forehead against Stiles’. 

“I was afraid too...” Derek admitted quietly. 

And then Stiles was the one cradling Derek's face as he placed a gentle and reassuring kiss to Derek's forehead. 

“Hey, Der,” Stiles whispered. “It’s okay. It all worked out.” 

Derek nodded and opened his eyes. Stiles faltered for a second at the look in Derek's eyes, some deeper emotion sitting there that Stiles wasn't ready to put words to. 

Instead, Stiles brought his arms up and around Derek's neck, his fingers coursed through Derek's hair as Stiles plastered himself against Derek's chest and initiated another, deeper kiss. 

It drew a small groan from the back of Derek's throat and damn, that groan. That groan did things to Stiles. Things that shouldn’t be happening while he was at work. 

And yet, Stiles couldn’t bring himself to pull away because Derek's hands were back on his waist, gripping his hips, pulling him impossibly closer. 

“You really should leave,” Stiles gasped as he reluctantly pulled away. Derek nodded in agreement but neither moved to let the other go, their chests heaving as they both tried to catch their breath. 

“When are you off tonight?” Derek asked, brushing their noses together. 

“Late. I’m closing.”

Stiles thought a pout had formed on Derek’s face and he chuckled before leaning forward, prepared to kiss it away. But then the bell above the shop rang and Stiles frowned in confusion. 

“I flipped the sign.” 

Then Stiles noticed that Derek’s eyes had widened in recognition.

“But you didn’t lock the door.” 

Stiles whipped around in surprise at the sound of his father's voice. His dad was standing in the entrance of the shop, a carry out box from the diner in his hands. 

“Pops!” Stiles exclaimed, slightly embarrassed to have been caught in such a compromising position. “Hey!” 

“Stiles,” the sheriff greeted with fond exasperation. “Aren’t you supposed to be working, son?” 

And though the question was aimed at Stiles, the sheriff sent an accusing glance Derek’s way that had them both fidgeting uncomfortably. 

“I took a break?” Stiles suggested feebly. 

“I can see that,” the sheriff answered, causing a deep flush to take over Stiles’ face. 

Stiles peeked a glance over at Derek who looked just as embarrassed as Stiles. Maybe more so. 

“Derek was, uh-Derek was just leaving,” Stiles told his dad. 

“I’m sure he was,” John responded with a smile. “He wouldn’t want to distract you from your work, would he? How about I walk you out Derek?” 

“Sure,” Derek answered with a nervous nod of his head. 

“I’ll see you after work, okay?” Stiles asked Derek as he reached out to squeeze Derek's hand. Derek squeezed back, a soft smile playing at the corner of his lips. 

The sheriff dropped Stiles’ lunch onto the counter before walking over and wrapping a firm grip around Derek's shoulder as he guided him toward the entrance of the store. 

“Dad!” Stiles called after them, making them pause at the door. “Be nice. I really like him.” 

Stiles flushed again. Derek's smile grew. The sheriff just rolled his eyes as he flipped the sign on the door back to Open! 

“We’re just going to have a chat, son. Relax.”

“That is not reassuring! It’s the exact opposite of reassuring!” Stiles shouted after them before the door finished swinging shut, the bell ringing with their exit. 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So. This is the last fully written chapter I have to upload so I'm glad it at least ends on a good note. But I'm really not sure when I'll be able to get the next chapter up. I was recently diagnosed with covid and just don't have the physical or mental energy to write right now. So please be patient with me and I'll start working on Chapter 22 again as soon as I can. 
> 
> As always, hope you are enjoying!

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! So I've been slowly working on this story for what seems like years and I figure if I don't bite the bullet and start posting it now, I probably never will. I've read through this a million times so hopefully there aren't too many mistakes. If there still are a few, I sincerely apologize. 
> 
> I'm going to try to update this weekly.
> 
> Any and all comments are welcomed and appreciated.
> 
> Please be kind :)
> 
> Come say hi and hang out: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/1gurgi1


End file.
